United Services Inc. is investing $9 million in the Richmond system, expanding 80 miles in fiber optic internet services locally. The company broke ground in early October, as the lease agreement was approved several months ago in a Richmond City Council meeting, superseding the prior lease and right-of-way agreement. United Services Director of Field Engineering Ken Smith gave an update last week on the first phases of the project. “Things are going well. Sellenriek Construction is working quickly, and we should finish in several months if weather permits,” said Smith. Richmond City Administrator Tonya Willim explained in October that United Services already serves a large portion of rural northwest Missouri, currently consisting of approximately 3,750 miles of the fiber line. New construction will be conducted by Sellenriek Construction Inc. Smith and General Manager Darren Farnan of United Fiber presented information and showed build plans this summer. “We wanted to go over…