La Plaza Telecommunity
Board of Directors Meeting
July 16, 2002
Executive Directors Report
1. May Statistics
Public Access Sites
Location Number of Users Hours Open
Penasco 238 30
Taos YFC 723 30
Taos Pueblo 85 45
Classes
Easy Web Page Design 5
Getting Started 5
Windows 98 3
One on one Training 2
Total 15
New Registrations
Primary 12
Reactivations 9
Total 21
Closures
98 notices were sent for 51 days past due and 31 were closed due to non payment.
Per User Request Closures - 39
Moving 25 Not using 5
Switched ISP 3 Not Satisfied 1 Unknown 5
31+39 = 70 accounts closed
Online Time
Total Hours 55048
Total Users 1897
Ave User Online - 29 hours
II. Postini Junk Mail and Virus Protection
June 31, 2002 - 555 users @ $1.50 = $832.50. This revenue is paying for the service and
administrative costs in managing the accounts.
III. Update of Technology Projects
We are moving forward slowly in trying to upgrade our service and equipment at La Plaza:
1) Linking La Plaza to Zianet - Integrity did a complete analysis of the line of sight
concerns and due to the height of the cottonwood trees, line of sight is not available
from the Decker Tower to Zianet. I contacted Gil Martinez, PNM Marketing Director and asked
him for the GPS location of their Taos tower and the possibility of La Plaza using their tower
for line of site to Zianet. Mr. Martinez will send me the information ASAP.
2) Wireless broad bandwidth - this is on hold until we can find a path to Zianet to buy
DS3 service. Our current Internet backbone and system cannot accommodate any new wireless
customers. Scott Sanger and I attended the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on
Wednesday, July 10, 2002 and applied for the Special Use Permit to replace an antenna
on the Decker Tower. The application was approved. We will next attend the Town Council meeting
on Tuesday, July 16, 2002 at 6:30 pm for approval to locate a new antenna on Decker Tower.
With these approvals we can immediately install the wireless antennas and radio equipment,
once the DS3 pathway is completed.
4. System Administrator - I signed a 12 month contract with Mike Ortiz for remote management
of the La Plaza system. Since July 1, Mike has restored the Community Calendar, the Business
Directory, the mailing listserves, and is updating the data base of the Community Wellness
Council Health Directory. (these were the most pressing problems several weeks ago.)
III. Funding Acquistion Update:
1) Healy Foundation - the Foundation denied the $15,000 request to upgrade our system equipment.
2) McCune Foundation - denied the $24,000 request for public access trainers at Town of Taos YFC and Taos Pueblo Day School.
3) Daniels Fund - denied the $34,000 request to develop a multimedia lab at the YFC.
4) Handspring Foundation - $20,000 request submitted to develop the multimedia lab at the YFC - notification will be sent on July 15, 2002 of the grant request.
5) Los Alamos National Lab Foundation - submitted a $22,500 request for a "traveling trainer"
to offer training and multimedia workshops in the 4 public access computer
labs in Penasco, Questa, Taos Pueblo, and YFC. Notification not received.
IV. Community Outreach and Development
1. Continuing to work with Taos Pueblo with the Gates Foundation Native American Initiative
to build the tower for Internet connection.
2. La Plaza Telecommunity is collaborating with Taos Community Foundation to hold a
workshop "Non Profits in the 21st Century" on Friday, October 10, 2002. The workshop will be held
at the YFC and La Plaza staff will share assessment tools for hardware, funding sources, and
training with this group.
3. Taos Training Alliance - Nancy Montano is assisting with a brochure for TTA. The brochure is in the draft stages and is nearing completion.
4. Barb Hau showcased the Tobacco project and website in Albuquerque at a New Mexico
Department of Health meeting in June.
5.Nancy Montano was interviewed on KXMT, the new Hispanic radio station, and discussed the
new learning center and the classes being held for the community. From this interview, 5
Hispanic adults enrolled in the "Getting Started" class. Nancy and I are going to meet
and recommend a weekly Technology show - La Plaza would host the format and have discussion on
technology, computers, etc....also entertain a Q&A portion of the format.
V. Training Center/Computer lab
I met with Jovanna Poe and Nancy Montano and drafted a marketing plan for the Training Center.
Taoscomputerlab.com is the name of the website that is being developed to market the
facility on the WWW. One of the strong marketing aspects is the desireous location of
Taos. The objective of the plan is to create a presence on the Internet, market both
the training component and the computer classroom rental services.
We are planning a meeting on Tuesday, August 13, 2002 at the Fechin Inn with the Lodgers
Association members and the B&B associaion members to showcase the website and educate
this group on the La Plaza's learning facility. Our plan is to link their websites to the
taoscomputerlab.com website to reach as many people as possible.
Respectfully submitted
Judith Pepper