Community Outreach Update

May 2012

Message from the CEO

RandyZila

 

As spring begins and April comes to an end, we continue our efforts to reach our goal of connecting over 230 community anchor institutions throughout Colorado by August 2013.  In working toward that goal, we recently made a big step forward in activating four of our seven main peering sites, and the beginning of physical network construction starting with a build along I-25 North of Denver. 

 

We currently have operational peering sites in Denver, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction and Durango with Pueblo and Kersey scheduled to be activated in early May and Cheyenne to follow.  These sites create the peering ring, the core of our EAGLE-Net network, which will be fully connected later this summer creating a redundant pathway.  With the activation of the network peering ring, we have now begun construction to build the various lateral network lines that will tie back into the ring. This year, EAGLE-Net will install about 900 miles of new fiber, in addition to our existing 1600 miles of fiber.  We will also continue to finalize the right-of-way agreements and leases for fiber to complete our total 4,600 mile network by August 2013.

 

We want to thank all of our partners, IBM, Cisco, G4S, El Pomar Foundation, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, UMB Bank Colorado, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and the Rotary Club of Colorado.  The staff at EAGLE-Net would also like to extend our gratitude to all of the elected officials and their staff whose support and help is making this project a success.  I want to personally send a special thank you to Governor John Hickenlooper, Anna Gomez, and John Salazar for speaking at our Kickoff Event on April 16th.

 

EAGLE-Net would like to extend its appreciation to all who continue to support and share interest in our project.  Please feel free to contact us at any time, or visit our website for the most up to date information.

 

Wishing you well,

Dr. Randy Zila

CEO

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Progress Report

We continue to make steady strides related to the implementation of the project.  As mentioned above, our peering sites in Denver, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, and Durango are now operational.  Additional peering sites in Pueblo and Kersey (located east of Greeley) will be operational by the time you read this update, and Cheyenne will be connected later in the project. 

 

Construction: 

We broke ground and started construction on our I-25 North build (from 120th & to Cheyenne, Wy.) in April.  

May Construction May Construction 2 

In May, we will also break ground and start construction on the first leg of our Highway 160 fiber build from Walsenburg to Durango.  We have also awarded contracts for lateral fiber builds connecting community anchor locations to our peering ring on the Western Slope, Southwest Colorado, and Colorado Springs.  Awards for additional lateral fiber builds in Northeast Colorado and Denver will also be made soon.  At the height of the construction season this summer, we anticipate there will be 25-35 crews in the field with at least 150-200 people working on the project.

 

To support the construction projects this summer, we have already received approximately 1,100 miles of conduit, 950 miles of fiber optic cable, and 1,600 handholes.  We are also continuing work on designs, procurements, permits, and plans for construction for additional locations throughout the State.  Stay tuned to the EAGLE-Net website for construction updates.

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Community Outreach

EAGLE-Net is continuing to increase its public relations, brand awareness and business development through community outreach efforts.  Some of the efforts in April included:

  

Kickoff Event at the State Capitol:

On Monday April 16th, Governor John Hickenlooper joined EAGLE-Net and our partners for a special Kickoff Event held in downtown Denver at the State Capitol.  This event marked the beginning of the construction season to build the lateral connections that will link community anchor institutions to the peering ring as well as the activation of main peering sites throughout the state.  

 

Anna Gomez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information & Deputy Administrator for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and John Salazar, the Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, also spoke at the event.They shared their excitement for EAGLE-Net and the BTOP grant program, which will ultimately create a 4,600 mile statewide network.

 

Please see the In the News! section below to link to some of the great media coverage from the event.

Capitol DowntwonGovernor Speaking at Event

 

Government Roadshow:

The government roadshow continues throughout the state to educate both state and federal officials about the EAGLE-Net mission and provide updates on the progress of the network build.   In April, an EAGLE-Net delegation visited the Northern Colorado Congressional offices of Representative Cory Gardner, Senator Michael Bennet, and Senator Mark Udall.  The roadshow continues to be successful and is gaining momentum as it tours throughout the state.

  

Website:

The EAGLE-Net website is continually being revised as updates and additions are made on a regular basis.  New features/pages on the website include:

 

  • On the home page, The Cone Zone! box is updated weekly with our construction progress and scheduled area builds. 
  • The Regional Community Representatives page has been added to the Contact Us tab to help link residents to the Regional Community Representative.  There are currently two open positions for RCRs, which can be found on our Careers page.
  • A Media Kit page has been added that contains all basic company information which makes it easier for the media and others to learn more about EAGLE-Net.
  • The Resource Guide page has been renamed Resource Library and moved to the Media tab.  This page contains current brochures, Fact Sheet and other materials that can be downloaded and printed.
 

Over the next few months, web pages will also be created to share photos and videos, both from our events and construction sites.  Please continue to check back regularly as more information is made available daily.

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Open Requests 
EAGLE-Net continues to work with partners and vendors to complete the BTOP grant project.  Recent requests included:
Please check the Procurement Page for the most recent announcements. 
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Stories from the Road

The E-Rate window may have closed in March, but the Business Development Team is not slowing down anytime soon.  Committed to excellence, the team has been traveling the state attending conferences, collaborating with regional and local broadband service providers and ISPs for collaborative service capabilities and identifying many value added infrastructure and application service provider resources to be available for EAGLE-Net members.  

 

Community Outreach and Education:

The Business Development Team identified and attended various regional and local community conferences that focus on initiatives to improve and enhance community development, education, government and economic development.  Many of the regional initiatives provided a vehicle for the team to understand and assess requirements for new products and services that can be facilitated via the EAGLE-Net infrastructure.  Doug Kissler attended the Colorado Distance Learning Conference at the University of Denver this month. The conference brought together school districts, colleges, universities and state officials all concerned about providing distance learning programs to the students in the state of Colorado. Through the conference, members were able to share ideas and learn about new trends in the distance learning arena.

 

Service Provider Collaborations and Value Added Member Services:

Several members of Business Development and Community Outreach attended Colorado Metro Connect, which is an annual event where representatives from a variety of broadband service providers, government, agents and hosting/colocation entities meet and discuss networking service access and support for projects, products, and services.  Business Development attended the Western Slope's Superintendent's Conference to network and update school officials on EAGLE-Net business.  They also participated in several meetings including the Information Technology Summit, Colorado Higher Education Computing Organization conference, San Luis Valley Power Association, Colorado College, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado State University, and Adams County Communications.  It was a busy April of travel, and we look forward to visiting more locations and groups in May.

 

With the completion of the peering ring in process, Business Development has also been reaching out to many of the communities across the western slope of Colorado from Grand Junction to Durango. This effort provides the on the ground local planning and infrastructure review needed to coordinate how local access will connect to the peering ring. 

 

To speak with a member of the business development team, please contact:

Chip White, Executive V.P. of Business Development
Doug Kissler, Director of Business Systems and Healthcare Vertical
Dr. Neil Schaal, Director of K-20 Education Vertical
Andrew Wright, Director of Government Vertical and Value Added Member Services
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Meet Our Staff

Mark PillmoreMark Pillmore
 
Chief Financial Officer
 

Mark E. Pillmore, CPA, has over 34 years of public accounting experience.  In addition to managing his own certified public accounting practice, he joined the St. Vrain Valley School District in April 2003 as Chief Financial Officer and served for over seven years.  His role with the District included the preparation and management of a $300 million annual budget, as well as supervision of all finance and accounting functions.  Prior to starting his own accounting firm, Mr. Pillmore worked as Controller for Golden Transportation Companies, as an Accounting Manager for Brock and Company CPAs, PC, and as a Revenue Agent with the Denver District of the Internal Revenue Service.  Mr. Pillmore holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from Colorado State University.  Both Mr. Pillmore and his wife were born and raised in Colorado.

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NewsEAGLE-Net in the News!
Take a look at the news coverage EAGLE-Net has received over the past month:

 

Kickoff Event Coverage:
Other News Coverage:

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