New cable deal nearly complete with former NHL union chief
Onaway city officials approved a new cable TV franchise agreement with businessman Bob Goodenow, who has plans of launching Sunrise Communications in the city and surrounding areas.
City officials were comfortable with the language in the agreement and authorized mayor Gary Wregglesworth to sign it once Goodenow reaches a pole agreement with Presque Isle Electric and Gas Coop.
The effective date of the franchise agreement will coincide with the day a deal is reached with PIE & G.
Goodenow served as executive director of the National Hockey League Players Association from 1992 to 2005. He was involved in prolonged labor discussions during the 103-day NHL lockdown. Goodenow also owns a storage facility in town. He has been in negotiations with PIE & G for several months.
CITY MANAGER JOE HEFELE said the agreement ?would pave the way for the return of cable television, and we hope high-speed Internet in the not too distant future.?
City officials had signed a cable TV franchise agreement with Pine River Cable in 2006, but the venture never got off the ground. During several meetings late last year, Hefele reported breakdowns in communication, as Pine River failed to return several phone calls. There had been no contact in recent months.
The franchise agreement with Pine River was not exclusive, said Hefele, so the city could move forward with another suitor. In the meantime, Goodenow has purchased the assets of bankrupt Northwoods Cable, the former cable provider for Onaway and the surrounding areas.
?Goodenow would like to keep the dates of his franchises, Onaway and other areas, consistent with the date of a pole agreement with Presque Isle Electric,? said Hefele.
The other remaining issue will be what effects a sway cable is having on the city water tower. The cable is connected near the base of one of the four water tower supports and goes to a nearby cable TV tower.
?IT HAS been there for some time,? said Hefele. ?During the recent inspection of the tower by Dixon Engineering, it was recommended that a (structural) engineer should look at it and determine what effect it has had, and if the engineer determined it should be removed, it needs to be removed.?
Hefele added that the new franchise agreement includes the setting of deadlines for completion of the study and for the cable company to follow through with any
?Obviously, the longer it takes before the franchise becomes effective, the longer that situation continues to exist,? said Hefele.
?The commissioners and I are excited to have cable television back in the community, and we are excited with the notion of having high speed through a cable modem, but the commission, and myself, along with the city attorney, are concerned about the effects the wire may be having on the tower.?
A committee, which consisted of Hefele, the city attorney, and a pair of commissioners, were involved in negotiations with Goodenow.
?Not everyone agreed on everything,? said Hefele, ?but the commission felt comfortable with the language.?