The group behind the long-awaited and argued about fiber-optic network will be going to the Centerville City Planning Commission on Jan. 26 with conceptual site plans for redesigned substations.
Though this is the third time that UTOPIA has gone to Centerville to get approval on site plans, Centerville City Assistant Manager Blaine Lutz said that the combination of stimulus money and the most recent refinance means that the process will continue this time.
“We certainly have confidence this time that there will be work completed,” said Lutz. “There’s no timeline yet, but we hope they’ll be able to start work in the spring.”
Before then, residents are likely to see an advertising push by UTOPIA as they sign up potential subscribers in the area.
A key part of the network’s current development plan is not to start construction on the network before they have a certain amount of subscribers willing to sign up for the various services that are offered on the network (UTOPIA itself doesn’t provide services).
Though it’s uncertain when the media outreach into the neighborhoods would start, it’s likely to continue throughout the rest of the year in order to get the word out as much as possible.
Just because the advertising hasn’t been done, however, doesn’t mean that there won’t be UTOPIA construction. The $16 million stimulus from the government that UTOPIA received this past August was meant to provide network access to city buildings and other necessary facilities.
This construction, which isn’t dependent on subscriber numbers, would cover the construction of the network’s backbone in the city (Layton is also on the short list to receive some of the stimulus construction money). As the city’s pump houses are included on their list of necessary facilities, there would also be main lines throughout enough of the city that branching off into residential neighborhoods would be relatively easy.
At the moment, though, the process that needs to happen before any construction can start is still in the very early stages.
This is the third conceptual site plan that UTOPIA has brought before the Centerville Planning Commission since first getting involved with the city. Though the design of the substations has changed – there will be fewer, larger ones that can fit more equipment inside – the two initial conceptual site plan approvals have also expired.
“The approvals say that construction has to be started within a year, and have substantial completion within two years,” said Centerville Community Development Director Cory Snyder, adding that the last approval is at least a year and a half old.
Still, Lutz believes that this time will be different.
“It’s a good time,” he said. “Even under the stimulus construction alone, a substantial amount of work will be done.”
jwardell@davisclipper.com
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