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Brighton council backs town ownership of underground conduit, seeks partnership with Centwave
Summary
Councilors agreed the town should aim to own newly trenched conduit and pursue a partnering arrangement with Centwave to place fiber, hire a consultant to design a townwide plan, and coordinate with Rocky Mountain Power and the U.S. Forest Service.
The Brighton Town Council on June 10 agreed to pursue town ownership of underground conduit exposed by recent Rocky Mountain Power trenching and to work with private providers on installation and operations. Councilmember Dan introduced the discussion, saying the town would prefer to "own the conduit, lease it at a nominal fee" and retain control of future telecommunications infrastructure.
Ladd Marshall, representing Centwave, told the council the company had already supplied some conduit to the area and proposed a partnership in which Centwave "will provide the conduit" and cover labor to place boxes, pull fiber and splice lines. Marshall said the company’s goal was to partner with the town so Brighton could later buy the conduit or otherwise retain long-term access if Centwave were no longer the provider.
Council members pressed for a master plan before committing to broad installations. Jeff (council member) asked whether the proposal would affect resort providers; Dan and others clarified that local ski areas already have existing connections. Council members also raised neighborhood-specific concerns — Carolyn asked that partial conduit installations (streets where trenching started and then stopped) be addressed so those areas are not left disconnected.
The council directed staff to finalize an RFP-backed consultant contract to design the townwide conduit and fiber plan, to hold follow-up meetings with Centwave and Rocky Mountain Power, and to coordinate with the U.S. Forest Service on lines that traverse federal land. No final purchase or contract award was made at the meeting; councilors said they would return to the item with consultant recommendations and cost estimates.
What’s next: staff will proceed with the consultant contract to design a master plan; council and Centwave will schedule follow-up meetings to map responsibilities and costs.
