Heron on a buoy at dawn. photo by Noel McKeehan
INSIDE Great pairings
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Garden Club sale
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Poster winner
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The
Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 37, NUMBER 17 • APRIL 29, 2014
Broadband for those who want to pay By Colleen Armstrong Sounder Publisher, Editor
For those who are willing to pay the connection fee, broadband is available in several core areas of San Juan County. Orcas Power and Light Cooperative created a division in 2004 called “Island Network” that allowed individual broadband connec-
tions that were close to its fiber optic infrastructure. This includes most of Friday Harbor, Eastsound and Lopez Village and a few other areas close to fiber lines. Broadband is defined as high speed internet and other communication services. As OPALCO investigated a county-wide broadband solution in early 2013, a mora-
THANK YOU to our sponsors, riders and great team of volunteers! Special thanks to Jeff & the Galley crew, Lopez Fire/EMS, the Chamber staff and Christa. See you next year! Becky
torium was placed on new Island Network connections. The board lifted that freeze in February. As of today, there are 28 members hooked up to the co-op’s broadband. “OPALCO may not be a broadband solution for everyone,” said Communication Specialist Suzanne Olson. “But we will give our members the option to connect to our infrastructure, where available.” To see a map of existing and future fiber connections, visit www.opalco.com/islandnetwork and click on “Service Locations.” The website also offers a request form for new hook-ups. “We’ve put a lot of work into this site to answer questions for the community,” Olson said. “While all co-op members help pay for our grid control infrastructure, only those who connect to the Island Network pay for those costs.” New connections include a one-time hook-up cost, which extends the network to the customer’s location from the closest backbone access point. This price will vary depending on the customer’s location. Once connected, the member pays for the service monthly. OPALCO recently hired
a new manager, John Graminski, to oversee the Island Network division. A little Broadband history In 1999, in order to improve electric system reliability, OPALCO started installing fiber optic lines connecting its offices to field devices and the mainland. Since then, it made high-speed data connections available to institutions like the public schools, libraries, medical facilities, government offices and certain small businesses. In 2011, the San Juan County Economic Development Council and the San Juan Island Community Foundation asked OPALCO to explore how its fiber optic network might be used to bring broadband services to most of San Juan County. The result was a proposed $34 million dollar project to build a hybrid fiber-wireless infrastructure that would serve at least 90 percent of the county. That initiative was shelved in the summer of 2013. “As we continued our feasibility study, the board determined the financial risk was too great,” Olson said. “It was not because we didn’t get enough members signed up.” Although the scope was scaled back, OPALCO is still expanding its fiber optic net-
Benefit concert –
Edith Edwards, soprano; Becky Edwards, piano
Sat., May 3, 7 p.m. Community Church
Admission: donation at door to orphanage or senior home
Lopez Center
Live in Concert
Image Credit: Journal File Art
As of today, there are 28 members hooked up to the co-op’s Island Network broadband service. work to improve the safety of field crews and increase reliability of its electric operation. This expanded network can be used as a backbone for local connections – for those willing to pay the connection costs like trenching. Olson says public interest in individual broadband connections grew considerably after a CenturyLink underwater cable was severed on Nov. 5 last year. Telephone, 911 and internet service was interrupted for nearly a week until a temporary fix was put in place with the aid of OPALCO. Just days after the incident, the OPALCO board of directors directed that the company speed up fiber deployment throughout the county.
The co-op is undergoing a cost of service study that will update the fee structure and menu of services. It should be completed by this June. With more members connecting, the cost of service will likely go down. “The cost is currently being divided by those 28 members,” Olson said. “We are looking at what is a reasonable rate with planned expansion and new hook-ups. We want to give members a menu of options to choose from for what fits their needs … some people need it desperately now for their business to function. They don’t want to wait for the cost to potentially go down.” SEE BROADBAND, PAGE 3
Jones Farm fire
The Jones Family Farm barn burned to the ground on Wednesday night. The fire included the owners Nick and Sara Jones’ office, records, computers, and storage, as well as the upstairs apartment where they were living. No one was hurt in the fire. Jones Family Farm operates a natural, grass-based pastured livestock farm producing beef, goat, pork, produce, a shellfish farm and a commercial fishing operation harvesting wild stocks of seasonal salmon in Puget Sound. An account has been set up in their name at Islanders Bank. Donations can be made to Nick and Sara at Islanders Bank on Lopez. The address is 45 Weeks Rd, Lopez 98261. Checks should be made out to Nick and Sara Jones.
Sunday, May 4th, 7:30 pm
Soul, Blues, Rock Tickets Advanced $18/adult, $8/youth At the door $20/adult, $10/youth Purchase tickets at PSR, Lopez Book Shop, lopezcenter.org
Lopez Island Garden Club PLANT SALE Thursday May 8, 10-12:00 Woodmen Hall
Plant drop-off 5/7/14 • 3-5:00 pm