Citizen Centennial 8-23-2013
Centennial
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 40
August 23, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcentennialnews.com
City adds telecom question to ballot AT&T exec sees move as competitive threat By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com
Riding in possibly the coolest float in the entire parade, a trio of Western Welcome Week fans beat the heat with popsicles as they make their way along the parade route, on Aug. 17 in downtown Littleton.
Downright GranD With horses, tractors, fire engines, marching bands and classic cars, the 85th annual Western Welcome Week Grand Parade made its way through downtown Littleton on Aug. 17. With a tip of the hat to the past and a nod to the future, approximately 125 entries moseyed their way down Main Street to crowds stacked three and four deep. As the parade concluded, Main Street opened up for an afternoon of shopping, food and activities.
Photos by Deborah GriGsby
Colorful Latin dancers show off their beautiful traditional dresses as mariachi musicians play along Main Street in downtown Littleton. The 85th Western Welcome Week celebrated the town’s many ties to its deep Western roots and culture.
County approves pipeline segment Liquid natural gas to travel 13 miles along Manila Road By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com As early as next month, work will begin on a 13-mile natural gas pipeline that will cut through a small section of Arapahoe County. The Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a land-use permit Aug. 13, allowing construction of a portion of the larger Front Range Pipeline that stretches from Weld County to Skellytown, Texas. Commissioners granted Front Range Pipeline LLC — a partnership between Anadarko Petroleum, Enterprise Products Partners and Denver-based DCP Midstream — a special use permit that would allow the 16-inch steel vessel to be built along a section of Manila Road. According to the application, the pipeline would enter the Arapahoe County east of the metro area and then travel south along Manila Road into the far western corner of Elbert County. However, the county has placed 19 special conditions on the permit, some of which include limiting the hours of op-
‘Pipelines create jobs, infrastructure and tax revenue, and are a safe alternative for transporting energy resources.’ Arapahoe County Commissioner Nancy Sharpe eration, settlement of an easement agreement, a maintenance agreement for private roads impacted and assurance that construction will only take place where homeowners have signed an easement. “The Front Range Pipeline is important to the continued growth and prosperity of Colorado’s economy,” said Arapahoe County Commissioner Nancy Sharpe. “Pipelines create jobs, infrastructure and tax revenue, and are a safe alternative for transporting energy resources.” According to the county, easements have been signed by most homeowners in Arapahoe County impacted by the construction of the pipeline. All properties in the construction area are zoned A-1 (agriculture). Once the pipeline passes through Arapahoe County, it will continue southeast until it reaches Skellytown, Texas, where it will be sent on to refineries. The pipeline can carry an average of
150,000 barrels of liquid per day, but can accommodate up to 230,000 barrels daily. The pipeline is designed to carry natural gas liquids, including butane, propane and ethane. The expected completion date for the pipeline is sometime within the fourth quarter of this year. Front Range Pipeline LLC has already received approval for construction of the 435-mile pipeline from Weld County, Elbert and El Paso County. Citing improvements in safety and production best practices, Sharpe told residents at a July town hall meeting that said she is confident with how the county has laid out expectations for oil and gas operations, particularly when it comes to things like spills. “The smallest of spills must be mitigated,” explained Sharpe. “Even a spill the size of a water glass is still considered a spill and must be reported to the state.”
Centennial voters are going to be busy this November. Not only are they going to elect a mayor and four new councilmembers, but they will also be deciding on whether or not the city can leverage an existing fiber optic network to provide Internet and cable services. In a unanimous vote Aug. 19, the city council approved ballot language asking residents to consider authorizing it to use the readily available capacity of more than 40 miles of cable to provided enhanced telecom services. “Senate Bill 05-152 expressly allows and authorizes local governments to go to the voters to restore the powers that were taken from us by the state legislature in their rejection of our ability to use public facilities to provide services — Internet, telecom and cable,” said City Attorney Bob Widner. “And much can be done to debate how those services might be provided, but the first step is quest is whether we can provide those services and eliminate the hurdle that is Senate Bill 152.” Wider said placing the question on the ballot takes that first step. “It is not intended to set a business plan or dictate how services might be provided or how to enhance quality or increase competition among services,” he said. Kenneth Grandville, who owns a Centennial-based technology company, supports the move, saying that competitive pricing is the key to embracing the next big thing. And that next big thing, according to Grandville, is Internet-based television. “Interactive television is here and it will place big demands on our infrastructure,” he said. “Broadcast and Internet television will create an explosion in demand that, to some, will be the equivalent of trying to squeeze an elephant through a soda straw.” But not everyone sees the city’s proposal in the same light. AT&T Colorado President Bill Soards cautioned city council during a public hearing that, historically, municipal fiber optic networks have been “less than successful.” Soards pointed out that his company has invested millions of dollars in the Denver area, including Centennial, and sees the city’s plan as a competitive threat, based on the ballot language. “It seems to me that you don’t want to get into the business directly, but it’s the indirect that concerns me. And the thought that a company could come forward and lease your network, or be given your network for a dollar such as Google has done in Provo, Utah, recently, or really low market prices, is a competitive threat, not just to me, but to the other providers Ballot continues on Page 9
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.