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Tusayan Council comes through with internet; discusses flood mitigation

TUSAYAN, Ariz. — The Tusayan Town Council announced May 8 that residents would soon be able to register for high-speed internet services subsidized by the town.

Town Manager Eric Duthie said he had spoken to most of the town’s businesses about making the service available to employees who may not have internet service through the employers themselves and gave though numbers to the Access Parks, a company providing high speed internet service to rural and remote areas.

The service contract will include 10Mb for $29.99 per month.

Duthie said the company had committed to having the equipment installed and the service available around May 15.

“(The service) has been well-received by the business community and the residents,” he said. “We will be assisting with an online registration … in which residents will be registering based on where their unit is located. This will be done through the Access Parks website.

Mayor Craig Sanderson, who has long supported subsidizing high speed internet for the town’s residents and students, questioned whether businesses and residents who declined service could sign on at a later date.

Duthie said the contract covered at least 175 end users, which the town expects to meet once Forest Service, Fire Department and Airport personnel are factored in, and could expand beyond that at a later date if the council approves an increase.

“The council can lock in (the number of users) at a certain number … or add more connections,” Duthie said.

Sanderson said the council wanted to make room for future growth but would discuss a cap at a future meeting.

The town also discussed flood mitigation measures to be undertaken near the Tusayan Sanitary District.

In 2013, the Forest Service signed off on a plan to complete up to six detention basins near the sanitary district to reduce flooding of the town’s infrastructure.

The town will begin work on engineering and design of the project, which will include concrete barriers in front of wash canyons, allowing them to fill during heavy rain events. The retained water would then be released slowly to prevent a hazardous flow of water into the town. According to the Forest Service, however, the water cnnot be stored and must be released within a short period of time.


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