Adam Shake, Estes Park EDC – For the Trail Gazette
The Estes Park Economic Development Corporation (Estes Park EDC) invites you to attend a public meeting on Monday, March 5, 2018, to learn about the future of nationally competitive, fast, affordable, reliable broadband services in Estes Park. The meeting will be held from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm in the Town Hall Board Room, 170 MacGregor Avenue.
“Estes Park EDC supports the Town of Estes Park implementing a build-to-demand, phased approach for building a fiber optic network that can support robust broadband services, as well as enhanced communication services and allow the Town to implement electric power smart grid technologies” said Jon Nicholas, President/CEO of Estes Park EDC.
The Town of Estes Park has researched and investigated the opportunities and challenges of offering broadband services in the existing Light & Power service area. The Town received a grant of nearly $1.4 million from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to fund the engineering work for a detailed plan to build a fiber optic broadband communications network in the Town’s Light & Power service area. The engineering work developed a shovel-ready engineering plan and cost estimate to provide one gigabit broadband service capacity for the Estes Park Light and Power service area, which includes the Estes Valley and extends from Glen Haven to Allenspark.
Three speakers will present at the meeting. David Batey is the Chair of the Estes Park EDC Competitive Broadband Committee, and organized the effort that led to a 92 percent local vote in favor of restoring the Town’s right to directly or indirectly provide all telecommunications services including broadband within the Light and Power service area. He will provide a brief summary of the history of the Estes Valley broadband initiative.
