March Volunteer of the Month: Larry Norton, HFN Board of Directors

I moved to Issaquah Highlands from the Montlake neighborhood of Seattle in 2004, selecting a home in Crofton Springs and getting involved in Issaquah Highlands governance from the get-go, helping to form the Crofton Springs Neighborhood Committee. I served as a member of the Issaquah Highlands Community Association (IHCA) Board of Directors, as a committee chair during Port Blakely’s transition away from its role as master developer, and as a member of the Highlands Council Board of Trustees, serving six years as its president.

In 2013, I put together a team of four residents to negotiate with Port Blakely on behalf of the community to purchase Highlands Fiber Network (HFN), closing successfully in November 2013. I served as president of the Board of Directors for HFN’s first six years as a community-owned network.

When we closed on the purchase of HFN, the real work began; details of loan payments, banking partners, and strengthening our relationship with our operating ISP were all on the agenda. The HFN Board hired a general manager and established a business plan that would allow us to pay off our note to Port Blakely in nine years. We inventoried and evaluated our assets, including fiber cable, manholes, and data centers. It wasn’t long before the demand for higher speeds challenged us to upgrade and retrofit gear at data centers and customer homes. Our customer base has migrated from most users on the 10-megabit plan to a majority serviced at 100 megabits, with the number of 1 gig customers rising rapidly.

The future is bright; HFN will pay off its note by the end of this year. Having a debt-free fiber network will free us to consider various new ideas, including channeling some funds to the new Issaquah Highlands Community Foundation and increased services to our customers, like white-glove installations and technical support. Because Issaquah Highlands has a community-owned fiber network, we are free from decisions based on a corporate profit motive. HFN is much admired in the fiber network industry. Many housing communities and cities are in the process of developing their own networks. Port Blakely was way ahead in its vision of a community-owned network, and HFN continues in that vision.

I am honored to be named Volunteer of the Month; doing this kind of work allows you to meet and interact with your neighbors and stay involved in the life of the community. I am still involved on the Crofton Springs Neighborhood Committee and as a member of the IHCA Covenant Committee. I was appointed President Emeritus of the Highlands Council Board of Trustees in 2019 and continue to serve on the HFN Board as vice president.

Issaquah Highlands is a special place to live; our organizations – the IHCA, Highlands Council, and HFN – have developed a very strong fabric of community that fosters a sense of pride and wellbeing. I thank the community for the opportunities it has provided me.

Photo (top): Larry with his wife, Sue. 

Larry Norton is vice president of the HFN Board of Directors, president emeritus of the Highlands Council Board of Trustees, and a Crofton Springs resident.