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News and Views
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Broadband News Roundup
Locals Make Presentation at California Emerging Technologies Fund Conference
Reported by Supervisor Mark Lovelace, RREDC Vice-Chair
The Rural Connections 2010 Workshop was held in Redding on May 13th and
14th. This conference was sponsored by the California Emerging Technologies Fund
(CETF), and was hosted by CETF President and CEO Sunne Wright McPeak.
Key
attendees included Jonathan Adelstein, Administrator for the USDA's Rural
Utilities Service, and Thomas Buckley, Senior Deputy Chief at the
FCC.
The discussion focused on the persistent digital divide in rural
California and what different regions are doing to address it. The Redwood
Coast Connect region was very well represented by Humboldt County Supervisor
Mark Lovelace, Trinity County Supervisor Judy Morris, Connie Stewart of HSU's
California Center for Rural Policy and Steve Karp
of Redwood Coast Connect and representatives for local broadband projects
including Rural Broadband Now, Redwood
Telephone, Access Humboldt's Digital Redwoods project and IP
Networks.
There were excellent presentations on funding for broadband
projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) round 1 and
round 2, exploring what worked and what didn't. The
North Coast did not fare well in Round 1-we submitted five projects and none of
them received funding. Locally, we
fell between the cracks because we had a project for the Highway 299 corridor
which had been awarded 40% funding by California Advanced Services Fund (CASF)
which has not made any progress. That funding prevented another project in the
299 corridor from being able to access ARRA funds because the corridor was
already theoretically 'served'.
The Highway 299 corridor was probably the
biggest single topic of discussion. The Redwood Coast delegation made sure that
this problem was familiar to the folks from CPUC, CASF, and USDA's Rural
Utilities Service. A number of possible solutions were discussed which could
help to move this project forward. Attendees left the conference very hopeful that there will be some movement on this in the
near future.
Another topic of discussion was SB 1040 (Padilla), which would reauthorize and increase funding for the California Advance
Services Fund. The CASF,
which was established by the CPUC in 2007,
created a $100 million fund to provide
partial match for rural broadband projects. The state program was revised in 200 9, to allow it to be used as partial matching funds for any ARRA funded
projects. If enacted, SB 1040 would provide an additional $125 million
over 5 years to continue support for broadband deployment statewide and to
position California to maximize opportunities under the National Broadband
Plan.
If SB 1040 does not pass the
legislature and get signed into law, both ARRA and the CASF funding will end at the same time, creating a
sudden and dramatic end to the two biggest funding sources for broadband
projects in California.
For a copy of a presentation local broadband efforts and results, click here.
Click here for more information on the California Emerging Technology Fund.
Highway 36 Fiber Optic Project Remains On Schedule
IP Networks, Inc, the company installing the fiber optic line along Highway 36, recently reported the project is proceeding according to schedule. CEQA documentation has been completed along with the Phase I engineering of the project. Construction is scheduled to begin in late Summer 2010, following the nesting season for the Northern Spotted Owl. Project completion is still projected to be in the second quarter of 2011.
ARRA Round 2 Projects Await Word from Federal Government
Round 2 of the federal funding program for broadband infrastructure is well underway. Four applications from the north coast region were submitted and still under consideration. These four projects are:
- Redwood Telephone - Two applications to provide fiber optic service in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.
- Access Humboldt - One application for a microwave network in Humboldt County.
- Rural Broadband Now - One application for fiber deployment in Mendocino County.
There were 776 applications for Round 2 funding. A listing of these applications can be found by clicking here.
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Air Service Update
RREDC Executive Director Gregg Foster and Airports Manager Jacquelyn Hulsey traveled to St. George, Utah to meet with officials of SkyWest Airlines. SkyWest is the contract carrier for both United Express and Delta Connection.
 The goal of the trip was to provide
SkyWest with information on the Delta Connection service from Arcata (ACV) to Salt Lake City (SLC) and make the the
point that we believe that ACV continues to be a good market for an eastern
destination, whether that is Salt Lake City or Denver. It is our hope that SkyWest will continue to
be a good partner in helping reinstate service to the east.
These discussions will be continuing and we hope to convince SkyWest to
consider this new service for spring 2011
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RREDC Business Spotlight:
Fortuna Audio Concepts
RREDC and Fortuna Audio Concepts came together in
2007 when Kurt and Stephanie Halley needed a business loan to buy the property
at 410 N Fortuna Blvd,
Fortuna to expand their business, Fortuna
Audio Concepts.
Fortuna Audio Concepts carries the finest in home theater and car audio
components. Their sales team and installers are MECP (Mobile Electronics
Certified Professional) certified, so you can be sure that your system will be
properly installed the first time.
Fortuna Audio is all about keeping up with the latest
in the home theater and car audio industry; you can trust them to know what
will work for your car, your home and your needs. They carry the tops in sound
components and are the only local authoriz ed dealer for many brands - find out
which ones at www.fortunaaudioconcepts.com
A true family business, Fortuna
Audio proudly sponsors and supports the Fortuna Huskies, Humboldt Youth
Soccer League, 4-H, Boy Scouts and Team Audio Concepts
You'll like what you hear at Fortuna Audio Concepts!
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RREDC Loan Program Update
 The RREDC Board of Directors recently updated its loan policies to allow more flexibility to loan applicants who may not have sufficient collateral for a loan.
RREDC policy was to require 100% loan-to-value with certain discounts applied to different types of collateral.
The new collateral policy states:
"RREDC requires pledges of collateral for all loans
with the goal of 100% loan to discounted value. Greater loan to value will be accepted in specific cases where other
loan criteria are judged to provide sufficient support for the loan."
For more information, go to www.rredc.com/loan-program.
Our loan fund was created in 1978 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA).
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News From Our Members
Humboldt Bay
Municipal Water District
Water resource planning process enters final
stage: Stay With the Flow!
Come learn about and
provide input on water use options.
A citizen study group took the first crack at evaluating the
Mad River water use options  under consideration by the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, paving the way for public meetings to follow in June.
Stakeholders and randomly selected community members met
April 27 to evaluate a series of options developed over the last three months.
The public meetings
are slated for:
- June 1 at Azalea Hall in McKinleyville,
- June 3 at
the D Street Neighborhood Center in Arcata
- June 15 at the Wharfinger
Building in Eureka.
Last fall, phase one of the planning
process produced a framework of values that lists local control and legal viability
as two thresholds any option must meet to merit discussion at the three public
meetings.
The district's water resource planning committee will use
the input to develop recommendations to be submitted in July or August to the
HBMWD directors.
HBMWD now delivers 15 million gallons a day of treated
drinking water to 80,000 customers in Arcata, Blue Lake, Eureka and the
community service districts of Fieldbrook-Glendale, Humboldt, Manila, and
McKinleyville.At its peak, the district delivered another 40 to 50 million
gallons per day of untreated water to two pulp mills operating on the Samoa
Peninsula.
Those mills no longer operate. That leaves the district unable to put its
permitted water to beneficial use as required by the state and its customers
facing significant rate increases of 100 to 200 percent.
For more information go to the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District's website.
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Governor Schwarzenegger Creates New California Office of Economic Development
On April 8th, the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GoED) was created by
Executive Order. The office a one-stop shop to help businesses acquire the direction, information
and resources they need to invest, succeed and expand in California. The
Governor appointed Joel Ayala, former president and chief executive
officer of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, as director of
the new office.
Humboldt County has a unique relationship with the Governor's Office. The California Statewide Small Business Development Network, which is part of the new office, is headed up by Kristin Johnson and her staff based at Humboldt State University. Ms. Johnson started her career as a part time counselor with the North Coast Small Business Development Center in Eureka.
Click here for more information on this new program.
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"Fire In The Belly" Announces Its Next Event
 Friday, June 25th will be the next "Fire In The Belly" entrepreneur storytelling event. The fun will start at 5:30 p.m. in Eureka's Eagle House.
Featuring fun, music, and great stories from new and not-so-new local entrepreneurs, this event promises to be fun and inspiring to all that attend.
To find out more about this storytelling series, email Margaret Gainer or go to their Facebook Fan Page.
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Economic Fuel Contest Winners
 The 2010 Economic Fuel contest is over. On April 30, contest winners were announced at an awards ceremony at the Wharfinger Building.
This year's winners were:
- $25,000 winners: Eden Home, Humboldt Home Health Services, Luscious
Gardens, Sherlock Records Management
- $10,000 winner: Entrance Art
- $5,000 winner: Rad Power Bikes
- $1,000 winners: Shred Tec, Vance Banjos
Congratulation to all the participants for a job well done and thanks to Rob and Cherie Arkley for creating and supporting this great competition.
For more information, go to http://www.economicfuel.org.
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Small Business Development Center Offers Free Classes For Businesses
The SBDC's Business Basics workshops provide good information for start-up businesses as well as good refresher course material for those in business.
Please let anyone you think would benefit know about them. The schedule for March and April is:
Startup Basics:
Wednesday, June 9, 6-8:00 PM
Wednesday, July 14, 6-8:00 PM
Marketing Basics:
Tuesday June 15, 6-8:00 PM
Tuesday July 20, 6-8:00 PM
Books and Records Basics:
Wednesday, June 30, 6-8 PM
Wednesday July 28, 6-8:00 PM
Financial Basics:
Tuesday, June 1, 6-8:00 PM
Tuesday, July 8, 6-8:00 PM
Business Plan Basics:
Thursday June 24, 6-8:00 PM
Thursday, July 22, 6-8:00 PM
Classes are free and held at the Prosperity Center, 520 E Street, Eureka. In addition, classes are held in Crescent City. For more information, go to www.northcoastsbdc.org
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RREDC Board of Directors
City of Arcata - Mayor Alex Stillman City of Blue Lake - Councilmember Sherman Shapiro* City of Eureka - Councilmember Linda Atkins City of Ferndale - Councilmember Ken Mierzwa City of Fortuna - Councilmember Ken Zazni City of Rio Dell - Mayor Pro Tem Melissa Marks City of Trinidad - Councilmember Julie Fulkerson* County of Humboldt - Supervisor Mark Lovelace* Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District - Commissioner Mike Wilson Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District - Director Bruce Rupp Humboldt Community Service District - Director Frank Scolari* Manila Community Services District - Director Dendra Dengler
McKinleyville Community Services District - Director Helen Edwards* Orick Community Services District- Director Kristina Combs Redway Community Services District - Director John Rogers Redwoods Community Colleges District - Trustee Tom Ross Willow Creek Community Services District - Director Tyler Holmes*
*Members of the Executive Committee
RREDC Loan Committee:
Chair:Scott Pesch-Coldwell Banker Commercial Pacific Partners Real Estate
Vice Chair:Liana Simpson-Sequoia Personnel
Helen Edwards-McKinleyville Community Service District-Director
Frank Scolari-Coldwell Banker Cutten Realty
Sherman Schapiro-Enrolled Agent
Jennifer Budwig-Redwood Capital Bank
Phil Sullivan-Umpqua Bank
Dan Sweet-Coast Central Credit Union
Angela Machado - Alternate Member from Umpqua Bank
Dean Charlton - Alternate Member from Coast Central Credit Union
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Gregg Foster-Executive Director
Virginia Fisher-Lender
Bonnie Smoller-Administrative Assistant
Suzanne Dockal, CPA - Accounting
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