City OKs bid for fiber-optics project

City OKs bid for fiber-optics project

Sept. 27 2001

By Janelle Holden
journal staff writer

While acknowledging it was still a divisive issue, the Cortez City Council agreed on Tuesday to move forward with a plan to build a fiber-optics network within the city.

By a vote of 5-2, the council decided to award the over-$300,000 bid to BWR Constructors Inc., a local firm. The network will run from the City Service Center north of town to North Broadway, Empire, Chestnut Street, North Park Street, and Main Street

The city has already expended $50,000 to install 11,450 linear feet of empty conduit in the city, and 2,900 linear feet of conduit with fiber. An extra 10,250 linear feet of conduit and approximately 21,700 linear feet of fiber-optic cable is left to install before the network is completed.

"It’s about laying a foundation for advanced services coming down the pipe," explained Rick Smith, the director of city general services. "It’s still our anticipation to grow this thing to reach out to the community."

In January, the Cortez City Council voted 4-3 to build a four-loop network design that would serve city and county government, Cortez schools, Southwest Memorial Hospital, and eventually businesses and private homes. The network would have initially connected approximately 67 city and county entities.

One of the benefits would be video-conferencing that could be used to conduct arraignments at the county jail, provide live consultations with Denver medical professionals at Southwest Memorial Hospital, and perhaps allow citizens to testify before state legislative committees without leaving their community.

Since January, the hospital and the Re-1 school district have refused to hook up to the network and to financially contribute to the original project, which would have needed more than $400,000 in additional community support for completion.

As a result, the city’s network has been scaled back to connect 10 city and county entities and provide basic services that can be expanded over time.

If the council had voted against moving forward with the project, it would have likely forfeited a $600,000 state "beanpole" grant to bring advanced fiber-optic services to the county. The grant is Montezuma County’s portion of a $1.37 million grant awarded to the Region 9 economic development district, but the county has no interest in utilizing the grant, so the city is the lead agency within Montezuma County.

The grant goes hand-in-hand with the multi-use network telecommunications project, a state fiber-optics grant to connect public offices in Colorado’s 63 county seats with state government in Denver.

But the city has to fund the infrastructure before it can take advantage of a grant for fiber-optic services, explained Smith. "It’s really not beanpole-eligible at all, and that’s why it’s on the city’s plate right now," said Smith.

Mayor Joe Keck said that if it weren’t for the beanpole money, he would have a problem with such a large investment at a time when the city’s budget is stressed. "It’s hard to walk away from the beanpole money to get everything set up," said Keck.

Council member Jim Herrick said it was necessary to spend the money to benefit from the advanced services the grant has to offer.

In other business, the council approved three building resolutions, two of which relate to a new development on 4.48 acres off of East Main Street. The council granted a conditional-use permit to James Cagle to construct mini self-storage units between Dairy Queen and Graffis Motors. The Cagles also have plans for a restaurant and a 5,400-square-foot building for new commercial and retail space on a 1.28 acre-lot. The other lot will be developed later.

The council also approved an application for a condominium subdivision on the 1500 block of East Montezuma Avenue.

"I believe that there’s a definite need for substantial affordable housing in Cortez and I think that’s what we’re going to produce," said Ken Maness, who represented the owners of the subdivision.

Later, the council agreed to contribute $50 to help a group buy a banner with "America" written on it flanked by two eagles. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Keck said, he has received many calls from citizens concerned that the city is not flying flags and other patriotic emblems.

"People are asking, ‘Where are the flags? Where are the flags?’" said Keck. The council agreed to consider buying flags and asking the Boy Scouts to raise them around town.

During the council’s workshop the council also discussed other items of concern:

• Council member Cheryl Baker offered to serve on the Montezuma County Health Department’s committee on smoking. The state of Colorado expects to receive $2.6 billion from tobacco-settlement suits. The first portion of the money will be allocated to the state next year, and Montezuma County is expected to receive $50,000 in 2002.

The money comes with some strings. The committee is expected to develop a five-year strategic control plan for tobacco use in Montezuma County.

The committee’s first meeting is set for Oct. 9 at 10 a.m. at the Montezuma County Health Department conference room.

• The city council will likely consider adopting a new building code in coming weeks. Wade Greene, the city’s building inspector, told the council about the new International Building Code, which combines the Southern Building Code Congress International, the Building Officials’ Code Administrators, and the Uniform Building Code. The three existing code organizations worked for the past 10 years to combine the codes, and published the IBC in June 2000.

The city has been using the 1997 UBC code, but Greene recommends switching to the new code.

Greene told the council the IBC code could raise prices for construction, but clients would also be safer.

• Herrick brought up the status of REAnet’s microwave tower next to the Montezuma County annex. Herrick told the council that if the tower is not in use, they owe it to the citizens who objected to its construction to take it down, since that was one condition of its approval.