WHOI, Town Hope For Fiber Link

     Creating a fiber optic link from Falmouth center to North Falmouth is a possibility, thanks to a proposed partnership between Falmouth town officials and staff at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
     Falmouth Assistant Town Manager Heather B. Harper said discussions are underway to see if a trench can be created for fiber optic cable along the railway route that is being used for the Shining Sea Bikeway expansion project. The bikeway project stretches about eight miles from Carlson Lane to County Road in North Falmouth.
     Ms. Harper said she attended a meeting last week to discuss the project with Lynn Grant Major, Falmouth director of information technology, Falmouth Town Engineer Gaetano G. Calise Jr., Chairman of the Falmouth Board of Selectmen Ahmed A. Mustafa, members of the Falmouth Bikeways Committee, and Arthur S. Gaylord and Hartley Hoskins, from the information technology department at WHOI.
     “We learned that there are some possibilities to facilitate this project without disrupting the bikeways improvements already under contract and underway,” Ms. Harper said.
     Delaying the bike path construction had been a concern of Mr. Calise who has dealt with years of delays in order to get all the permits in place for the bike path extension. Mr. Calise said he is happy to work with town and WHOI officials to help make contacts with state regulators on the project, but he said he doubts the project details could be finalized to coincide with bike path construction, which is set to begin this week. But he said it would be possible to install the fiber optic cable a year from now, once the bike path is complete and if all the permissions are received.
     The fiber optic link would provide a “consistent and reliable link to municipal and school facilities in North Falmouth and the area of Raymond Tech Park, which has been historically underserved by private providers,” Ms. Harper said.
     The next steps are to develop a scope of work for the project and a design for the installation, Ms. Harper said, adding that the laying of the fiber is complicated by the schedule of the bikeway project, the design of the bike path, and environmental and historic sensitivity. Like the rest of the bike path project, the fiber optic installation will also need approval from the Falmouth Conservation Commission.
     The town has a 99-year lease on the railway right-of-way, specifically for use as recreation. Mr. Calise pointed out that if the right-of-way were used for a fiber optic line, that lease may have to be revised.