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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 2004-22Suggested by: City Administration City of Kenai RESOLUTION NO. 2004-22 A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA IN SUPPORT OF THE IMMEDIATE CONSTRUCTION OFA FIBER OPTIC CABLE LINKING ANCHORAGE, KENAI, HOMER AND KODIAK. WHEREAS, the City of Kenai recognizes the importance of utilizing the latest in technological advances including high speed communications; and WHEREAS, a fiber optic cable will promote sustainable economic development, and enhance access to public services such as education, telemedicine, research, and broadcasting throughout the community; and WHEREAS, the addition of a fiber optic cable will improve homeland security and emergency response services for rural Alaska; and WHEREAS, the addition of a fiber optic line would greatly improve the City of Kenai's communication capabilities with the rest of the State, the Lower 48 and the world. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, that the City of Kenai supports the immediate development and construction of a fiber optic cable connecting Anchorage, Kenai, Homer and Kodiak. ATTEST: Carol L. Freak, City Clerk PASSED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, this 5th day of May, 2004. LIAM -~MAYO R Attachments (4/29/04) kh Kodiak-Kenai Cable Company 1007 W. 3rd Avenue, Suite 201 Anchorage, Alaska 99501 907.278.6100 April 26, 2004 Linda L. Snow, City Manager City of Kenai 210 Fidalgo Avenue Kenai, AK 99611-7794 Re' Anchorage-Kenai-Homer-Kodiak Marine Fiber Optic Cable Link Dear Ms. Snow: We are writing to update you on the status of the Anchorage-Kenai-Homer-Kodiak Fiber Optic Cable Link project and to request a renewed expression of your community's interest and support for this project. As you know, the Kodiak-Kenai Cable Company has been engaged for several years in a project to extend fiber optic backbone infrastructure from Anchorage directly to the Kenai Peninsula and to Kodiak Island. This will be accomplished through the installation of a robust and reliable marine fiber optic cable down Cook Inlet with landing points at the cities of Kenai and Homer on the Peninsula, and at Mill Bay in the City of Kodiak. We are also hopeful that the cable can be extended to the Kodiak Missile Launch Facility and thereby help enhance our nation's defense. The offshore marine hydrographic survey of the cable route was completed this past October; we are very Pleased with the apparent seabed conditions of the intended rome. Additional nearshore survey work at each of the landing sites is scheduled for early this summer in order to complete the route engineering. We have secured a letter of intent from a well- established Alaska private bank to issue the full amoUnt of project debt, with appropriate third party loan guarantees. The City of Kenai has been very encouraging and helpful to our efforts on this project. Your continuing support in the form of a resolution would be very helpful now as we work toward project implementation. It is clear that, for something of this magnitude to be achieved, it takes a team approach. Your participation is therefore critical to the success of this effort. Once you have been able to produce a resolution for your City, we request that a copy of it be faxed to us as soon as possible so that it can be included in our work to advance this project. Linda L. Snow April 26, 2004 Page 2 We are very excited about the long-term positive effects that this fiber optic cable project will have on the region and the state. It will help to grow Alaska's economy, to create distance education opportunities and telemedicine programs, to improve homeland security missile defense, and to enhance emergency response and search and rescue capabilities, and numerous other facets of life in the affected communities, including opportunities for jobs that otherwise would not be available. We look forward to receiving your resolution. It will be a great help in seeing that this project becomes a reality. You can contact Ik Icard at (360) 297-4889 or icard~centuryt_ el.net or myself if you have any questions or concerns. Best regards. Very truly yours, KODIAK-KENAI CABLE COMPANY, LLC cc: Carol Freas Emil Christiansen President September 23, 2003 C ClTY..COF KENAI 210 FIDALGO AVE., SUITE 200 KENAI, ALASKA 99611-7794 TELEPHONE 907-283-7535 FAX 907-283-3014 ~ Emil Christiansen, Sr., President Kodiak Kenai Cable Company, LLC 1007 West Third Avenue, Suite 201 Anchorage, AK 99501 K~~ PEN~~ U~ FIBER-OPTIC I~R~4$TR UCTURE Dear Mr. Christiansen: This letter is written in support of the development and construction of a fiber optic communication cable project proposed to place a fiber optic link from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula. The development of an information infrastructure would provide our communities with access to broadband connectivity and provide enhanced telecommunications, health care, education, homeland security, and economic development opportunities. As we work to diversify and strengthen our economy, the need for secure, high speed, broadband telecommunication capacity becomes ever more urgent. A project of this nature would dramatically expand our communications and intemet capabilities. Again, the City of Kenai supports efforts in developing and constructing a fiber-optic infrastructure to the Kenai Peninsula. ~OF KENAI ~ JJW/clf