It’s a new year and with it have come several changes to the Superior community.

Contractors replacing curbs and sidewalks in downtown Superior finished their work and moved most of their equipment out just before the new year arrived.

On the very last day of 2018, Apple One Media, a Belleville sign firm, completed repair of the biggest of the two Crest Theatre signs. Local volunteers did the smaller sign earlier in 2018 but they declined the task of repairing the big sign and turned the work over to a professional sign company.

The new sign is a “bright spot” at the north end of the central business district. The work is being funded in part through the downtown renovation program that has also helped fund the new curbs and gutters.

On down the street, on Monday the city electric crew finished the replacement of the last full block of street lights. If our inspection is right, that leaves only two lights near the Crest Theatre. When they are installed, the downtown street light project will also be completed. Yet to go is the planned renovation of a number of store fronts.

But what is perhaps the biggest of all improvements, the contractors working for Glenwood Telecommunications completed the installation of a fiber optic network which now offers every business and residence within the corporate limits of Superior the opportunity to have fiber optic provided internet, television and telephone connections.

When it comes to community development an important catch word these days is broadband availability and Superior now has it via the fiber optic network.

The benefits of fiber optics include faster connection speeds, clearer communications and less chance of weather related service interruptions.

Now that the contractors have moved out, Glenwood crews are working to connect their customers to the new service. Another month or two may be needed to complete those connections.

It was just last February that the company based in Blue Hill revealed plans to expand its Superior cable television service offering to include internet and telephone service via a new broadband service.

Glenwood first began serving Superior in 2009 with the purchase of Time-Warner’s cable television system.

Unlike some companies, Glenwood does not require customers to subscribe for telephone service before buying internet service.

Soon the company will begin upgrading what has been known as cable television service and will be removing the old coaxial cable television system. The new television service will offer the ability to stream television programs to a computer or smart cell phone. No longer will television customers be required to have a signal box connected to their television. However, they will be required to subscribe to internet service and have a television that will receive an HDMI signal. Some older sets will not receive the new signal. The new television service will provide all high definition programming.

The company is now demonstrating the service at its office on East Third Street. For subscribers, company technicians will go to the home or business to connect the new service.

If desired, subscribers may purchase a watch anywhere feature that will allow them to watch their favorite television programs anywhere they can access internet service.

The Superior conversion was the largest the company had undertaken, and a spokesman said they have learned a lot here. Much of what they learned in Superior will now be used when they begin a similar conversion in Hebron, another town where Glenwood has purchased an existing cable TV system and plans to upgrade the service offering.