A 3-year-old project to enhance Internet connectivity throughout Southwest Colorado is nearly complete, officials said Friday.
The Southwest Colorado Access Network links government buildings in Durango, Pagosa Springs, Cortez, Silverton, Dolores and Dove Creek with high-speed Internet. Hospitals, schools and other entities have jumped aboard. And private Internet service providers have added wireless towers to the government-funded infrastructure to reach even more users.
The project is in various stages of completion throughout the region. Rick Smith, general manager of SCAN and mayor of Bayfield, said the physical infrastructure should be in place by November, and the network should be live by January.
“It’s expanding connectivity throughout the region,” Smith said.
SCAN was funded by a $3 million grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and $1 million in matching funds from local governments.
The Department of Local Affairs is looking at SCAN as a model for expanding Internet access to rural areas of the state.
“The department, I would say, took a leap of faith with this project, and you guys have responded well,” said Ken Charles, regional manager for the Department of Local Affairs.
Reeves Brown, the department’s Denver-based executive director, said he was impressed by the project’s apparent success. Brown was in Durango on Friday to meet with the Board of County Commissioners and city officials.
“More than connecting buildings, you’ve connected people, you’ve connected institutions,” Brown said.
The project laid broadband Internet around the region, but some remote areas, including Silverton, will rely on wireless connections.
Internet service providers have piggybacked off the project. For example, SkyWerx of Pagosa Springs built a 100-foot tower on Reservoir Hill to reach more residents, said Jeffrey Gavlinski, SkyWerx director of sales and marketing.
The available public infrastructure allows Internet service providers to put their money into improving their services instead of installing fiber, said John Monday, director of network engineering and operations for Durango’s FastTrack Communications.
“The ability to expand our network, expand our bandwidth – our resources are going to be redirected toward that,” Monday said.
Broadband Internet is as important now as paved roads were in an earlier era, said Brown. “I view broadband as the asphalt of this century.”
County commissioners used Brown’s visit to discuss a lengthy list of long-term projects for which the county may seek Department of Local Affairs funding. The state agency often awards grants for infrastructure projects. The county may seek funding for:
Construction of a multi-event center to replace the current county fairgrounds, along the busy north Main Avenue corridor.
Expansion of the terminal at Durango-La Plata County Airport to accommodate a continuing increase in passenger traffic.
A new shooting range for law enforcement officers to be built alongside an existing Durango Gun Club range on La Posta Road (County Road 213). A 200-yard “long range” would accommodate rifle practice, and shorter ranges could be used for handgun training. The county envisions Durango Police Department, La Plata County Sheriff’s Office and state and federal officers stationed in Durango using the range.
“It’s something we’re hoping to get started on in 2014, but we don’t have the funding in place,” said Jim Davis, the county’s director of Public Works.
Relocating and expanding federal courts to the county courthouse. The long-term goal is to establish a federal district court in Durango to serve southern Colorado and the area’s two American Indian tribes.
A new building to house La Plata County Search and Rescue.
Infrastructure related to a business park to be built near the airport.
Commissioners took the opportunity to speak with Brown to fill him in about the county’s needs.
“Sometimes we whine and complain about the lack of attention from the Front Range,” Commissioner Bobby Lieb said, “but that’s how the dance goes.”
cslothower@durangoherald.com
