GRANTS, N.M. –
Highlights of Continental Divide’s 2022 Annual Meeting included the expansion of broadband internet service to Pueblo of Zuni residents and an update on the co-op’s new headquarters.
Continental Divide Board President Keith Gottlieb called the business meeting to order at 11:15 a.m., Sat., April 30, at the Grants High School auditorium.
During his report, Gottlieb explained that it was upon the co-op to provide essential services, including broadband, where no one else will. “There are still those in the far reaches of our service territory without electricity and other necessities we enjoy. Among them is reliable, if any, telecommunication services,” Gottlieb said.
With a population of about 7,800, Zuni Pueblo, south of Gallup, is an example of a community that has had to rely on much slower, less reliable satellite services and copper-based DSL connections for internet access, resulting in slow, unreliable, internet service and at a cost that was unaffordable to many.
“I’d like to thank Zuni Pueblo Governor Val Pateah and the Zuni tribal council for partnering with us to fund the $4.4 million in communication infrastructure necessary to provide internet services to the Pueblo’s residents,” Continental Divide CEO Robert E. Castillo said during his report.
The tribal government will purchase the co-op’s Red Bolt high-speed internet service for essentially 100 percent of Zuni residents for the next three years. Later this year, Red Bolt also will be available in Bluewater Village, Castillo said.
“By year’s end, we anticipate our subscriber base to have doubled,” he said.
Just as the need for modern communication has taken on importance, so has the need for modern facilities, President Gottlieb said.
“Our new headquarters campus is expected to be finished in January 2023. After the co-op moves in, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held,” Gottlieb said.
Continental Divide’s new facility is being built adjacent to the Grants Senior Citizens Center at the Cibola Industrial Park It will feature a drive-thru payment window and a public meeting space that community groups can use upon request.
No bylaw amendments were proposed to the coop’s membership, this year. Board member Mike Chambers of Grants was re-elected by a majority of members in District 1 to serve a new three-year term. Lloyd Ortega of San Mateo was unopposed in District 4, as was Claudio Romero of Seboyeta in District 3.
Continental Divide did not take any official business actions during the business meeting. The coop registered 473 members, and it needed 544 to establish a quorum. Annual Meeting registration and voting was held over two days this year to accommodate members, as a COVID safety precaution. Also, the pre-meeting festivities, such as Cibola General Hospital's annual Health Fair and the National Park Service's Junior Ranger Day, were cancelled this year. Nathan Paden, managing partner for auditor Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss, LLP, reported a clean bill of financial health for Continental Divide with total revenue of $59.9 million in 2021, compared to $60.2 million in 2020. Total expenses last year were $59.4 million, compared to $60.7 million in 2020.