Local calling area one step closer to reality

Editor?s note: Daily in Review is a partial digest of stories reported in the Business Report Daily online service between Jan. 17 and Jan. 29. Follow Business Report Daily each day at www.ncbr.com and click on ?Daily News,? or log on at www.businessreportdaily.com.

Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) reached an agreement with the Office of Consumer Counsel and the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to expand the local calling area for Northern Colorado.
The agreement will eliminate long-distance calling between neighboring communities in the region, including Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Estes Park, Windsor, Timnath, Ault, Evans and Eaton.
Elimination of the long-distance calls in Northern Colorado will cause Qwest to lose revenue. The company plans to increase charges for basic business-line service and optional services such as a non-listed numbers, in order to make for the losses.
Previously, Qwest considered statewide increases regular line charges.
Last spring, Qwest issued a survey to residents seeking support for an expanded calling area in exchange for a six-cents-per-month-per-line increase to cushion the loss in long-distance revenue. Of the 1,600 surveys mailed to random residential customers, 488 were returned. Of the returned surveys, 79 percent were in favor of the expanded area.
A PUC judge will issue a decision on the agreement. This could include a hearing, but does not necessarily have to, said Terry Bote, a spokesman for the PUC.

Regional forecast rosy for ?05

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GREELEY ? A panel of experts on Jan. 18 cautiously foretold of a strong economic year for Northern Colorado at the Northern Colorado Business Report’s 2005 Economic Forecast event at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.
A record-breaking 550 attendees gathered to hear local industry leaders tout the strengths and weaknesses of the region’s economy.
Regional economist John Green laid the groundwork for what could be another bleak year nationally, with inflation and interest rates on the rise. However, he said that Northern Colorado’s economy has the momentum to resist the national trends. He was especially mindful of the growth surrounding the Interstate Highway 25 corridor
Green said the construction and medical industries would be the strong drivers of the region’s economy.
Loveland firm renews contract

LOVELAND ? United States Synchronized Swimming has renewed its contact with Colorado Time Systems LLC to continue through December 2008.
Under terms of the extension, Loveland-based Colorado Time Systems will provide scoring, display equipment and technical support for U.S. Synchronized Swimming’s championship events. Colorado Time Systems has been a sponsor of U.S. Synchronized Swimming since 1994.
The value of the contract was not disclosed.

RV dealer targets Johnstown

JOHNSTOWN ? The Great Colorado Retail Experiment is over, with a metro-Denver recreational vehicle dealer taking over the Great Colorado Marketplace off Interstate 25 in Johnstown. A sale that closed last month for about $10 million, as the buyer put it, will bring Wheatridge-based RV America Inc. northward to replace the marketplace, opening in March.
The 100,000-square-foot indoor flea market opened in 2002.

F.C. housing permits decline

FORT COLLINS – The city of Fort Collins issued construction permits for 1,386 new homes in 2004, including 987 single-family homes, according to the city’s latest building activity report.
By comparison, permits were issued for 1,422 homes in 2003, of which 973 were for single-family homes.
Construction value for all housing, including multi-family projects, was $240.5 million, up from $205.3 million in 2003.

Oil, gas values soar in Weld County

For the first time ever, Weld County’s oil and gas assessed value was more than the total assessed value of all residences, according to new county tax data.
Because of rising prices and increased production, oil and gas made up 32.32 percent of the county’s 2004 total assessed property value ? an increase of more than 10 percentage points compared to 2003.
The residential class made up 30.68 percent of the total ? down from 31.79 percent. All other tax classes showed percentage reductions as well.
For 2004, Weld County sent out more than 150,000 property tax notices, up 3 percent from the number sent in 2003 and a 36 percent increase compared to the number sent in 1999.