About the Jim Wells County Community Network

The Jim Wells County Community Network (the "Network") is a partnership of 25 local education, health care, library, government, business, and community organizations that was established in June 2001 in order to prepare an application to the Texas Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board (TIF) for a $525,000 grant to plan and implement the Network. The $25,000 planning grant was approved in August 2001, and the $500,000 implementation grant was approved in March 2002. The funds were used to purchase 75 desktop and notebook computers to be located at several public access sites in various communities throughout the county including Alice, Premont, Orange Grove, Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco, and La Gloria, develop the web site for the Network, and provide computer training for county residents. Assistance and funding was also provided to help local governments develop web sites and e-government services.

Both the planning and implementation grants required a 10 percent local funding match. In September 2001, Southwestern Bell awarded a $2,500 Economic Excellence Grant to the Alice & Jim Wells County Economic Development Council (EDC) to provide matching funds for the planning phase. In April 2002, CHRISTUS Health awarded a $25,000 grant to the Network to provide half of the required local funding match. Other contributors include the City of Alice ($10,000), Jim Wells County ($5,000), Workforce Network, Inc. ($7,000, in-kind), Alice Housing Authority ($1,000), and Alice Regional Hospital ($1,000).

The Governing Board for the Network includes representatives of Coastal Bend College, Jim Wells County, City of Alice, CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Alice, Alice Public Library, Alice Chamber of Commerce, Alice & Jim Wells County Economic Development Council, Alice ISD, Ben Bolt – Palito Blanco ISD, Orange Grove ISD, and Premont ISD. The initial grant application was sponsored by the EDC. Coastal Bend College – Alice Center served as the fiscal agent for the Network, and was responsible for the administration of the grant.  In November, the Network was established as a non-profit organization to administer the Network after the implementation phase.

For more information about the Network, please click on the links on the left.

To register as a Member of the Network, or as an Authorized User of the Network's public access computers and Internet services, please click here for an online registration form.

To submit questions, comments, or calendar items for the Network, please click here for an email response form.