The Loma Fire still burned on Day 3, but had passed our site

Cruzio went through a tense Monday, when the fire started, with flames roaring past our hilltop facility. Then all day Tuesday Cruzio staff was waiting, watching and then racing to re-charge our backup batteries before power ran out. We didn’t completely avoid an outage, but the number of people affected was small and the effect brief.

We felt good about our performance and lucky we’d escaped more damage.

By Wednesday, conditions on Loma’s hilltop had stabilized. The fire still raged south of us — 4,000 acres burning that day — but our access to the site had become pretty routine. The road block was gone. We worked with other folks on the mountaintop, sharing resources and helping each other out.

Burned and black bushes were all around

PG&E told us that power would be off for a week or more, so we settled in for the long haul. Chris Frost, our Director of Technology and Infrastructure, went on TV to explain the situation.

For several days our staff took turns going up the mountain and maintaining the generators. It was a grind, though what we went through didn’t compare to people who’d lost homes or were displaced.

A lot of fast food was consumed and a lot of time was spent looking out over the charred landscape and drifting smoke. Our team saw a dozen or more utility poles burned black and leaning, clearly a big job for PG&E.

Over the next few days, we watched fascinated as PG&E lowered pole after pole from a helicopter into place on the steep mountainside. The utility’s ground crew guided the poles into place and quickly had the new infrastructure up.

Cal Fire bravely walking toward the burn. PG&E is fixing the pole behind them.

Then, well ahead of schedule, just after noon on Monday October 3rd, PG&E restored power to the mountaintop. Cruzio’s staff breathed a sigh of relief. Our saga was over for now.

A week later, at this writing, the fire is 95% contained and people have returned to their homes. In all, the fire destroyed 12 houses along with many outbuildings. Luckily, no one was injured.

Things to know about fire:

• A fire grows much faster than you’d ever imagine, especially in such dry conditions. Fire coming? Get out!
• Preparation is essential. A generous perimeter saved our gear. Our batteries and generator prevented a serious outage.
• Working together in these situations is key. All companies in the facility helped each other, making the situation much more bearable.
• PG&E really has their process down, they were extremely efficient.
• Cal Fire is a heroic organization. We owe a lot to them and we’re very grateful for all their help. Over 2,100 fire fighters came from around the state to work in challenging, steep terrain. As our staff member Colin said, “The firefighters were the most amazing thing, I just had this feeling of WOW! Being up there with them is so different from just knowing they’re up there.”

Photo credits for these posts: Chris Frost, Alison Lowenthal, Colin Miller, and our security camera.

More numbers from our SantaCruzFiber.com survey (if you haven’t taken it, please do, it’s right here).

As of November 27th, we had gotten well over 1500 responses to work with and lots of interesting numbers.

In the graph below, we can see which neighborhoods are participating the most. We’re looking at the Upper West Side leading the pack with Nobel and Spring Street at or near the top of the pile. You rock, UWS!

And if you look at the list below the chart, you’ll see that even a small street can make a big difference. Word of mouth is our most effective way of spreading the news, so be sure to tell your neighbors to take the survey!

If the graph is a little fuzzy, the numbers are these, from the neighborhood with the fewest surveys to the one with the most: Harvey West 8, San Lorenzo 20, Beach Hill 25, South Pacific 31, Riverside 32, West Harbor 33, Carbonera 39, Prospect Heights 46, Downtown North 47, Neary Lagoon 51, Market 53, South Seabright 57, Ocean View 57, Western Drive 59, Gault 61, Chestnut/Laurel 62, No Answer/Garbled 62, Natural Bridges 64, East Morrissey 65, Lower Escalona 65, Lower Bay 66, Lighthouse 82, Mitchell’s Cove 86, Branciforte 87, Spring Street 92, Mission Bay 93, Nobel 96.

In case you’re curious about what street has completed the most surveys, check the tables below. Hagar Court leads all streets in the City of Santa Cruz with 26 surveys completed — just ahead of another Upper West Side street, Western Drive. Most of us know where Western Drive is, or Escalona (3rd place). But Hagar Court? Here’s a map showing where it is and how relatively short the street is, which leads us to the statement:

Hagar Court is Awesome!

Street 	# of Surveys 	Street 	# of Surveys 	Street 	# of Surveys 	Street 	# of Surveys 
Hagar Ct 	26 	Dufour St 	11 	Esmeralda Dr 	8 	Palo Verde Terrace 6 
Western Dr. 	25 	Frederick St 	11 	Fair Ave 	8 	Peyton St 	6 
Escalona Drive 	23 	Market St 	11 	Lee St 	 	8 	Pine St 	6 
Ranch View Rd 	22 	Mission St 	11 	Myrtle St 	8 	Ross St 	6 
Delaware Ave 	20 	N Branciforte Ave 11 	Park Way 	8 	Soquel Ave 	6 
King St 	19 	N Pacific Ave 	11 	Plateau Ave 	8 	Torrey Pine Terrace 6 
Laurel St 	17 	National St 	11 	San Juan Ave 	8 	Archer Dr 	5 
Marnell Ave 	17 	Pelton Ave 	11 	Spring St 	8 	Avalon St 	5 
Linden St 	16 	Windham St 	11 	Washington St 	8 	Bradley Dr 	5 
Pacific Ave 	16 	Windsor St 	11 	Alta Ave 	7 	Buena Vista Ave 5 
Walk Circle 	16 	Cayuga St 	10 	Hagemann Ave 	7 	Campbell St 	5 
Dickens Way 	15 	Felix St 	10 	Harbor Dr 	7 	Carbonera Dr 	5 
Fairmount Ave 	15 	Grandview St 	10 	Lighthouse Ave 	7 	Cedar St 	5 
Highland Ave 	15 	Maple St 	10 	Meadow Rd 	7 	Clinton St 	5 
Pacheco Ave 	15 	Morrissey Blvd 	10 	Ocean St 	7 	Coulson Ave 	5 
Broadway 	14 	Seabright Ave 	10 	Peach Terrace 	7 	Darwin St 	5 
High Street 	14 	W Cliff Dr 	10 	Stanford Ave 	7 	Gharkey St 	5 
Chestnut St 	13 	Walnut Ave 	10 	Trescony St 	7 	Grant St 	5 
Isbel Dr 	13 	Wilkes Circle 	10 	2nd St 	 	6 	Hanover St 	5 
Oxford Way 	13 	Alamo Ave 	9 	Bethany Curve 	6 	Ingalls St 	5 
Arroyo Seco 	12 	Ocean View Ave 	9 	Getchell St 	6 	Meder St 	5 
Bay St 	 	12 	Seaside St 	9 	Goss Ave 	6 	Naglee Ave 	5 
Caledonia St 	12 	Segri Pl 	9 	Jackson St 	6 	Ortalon Ave 	5 
John St 	12 	Trevethan Ave 	9 	Laguna St 	6 	Pearl St 	5 
Laurent St 	12 	Van Ness Ave 	9 	Lincoln St 	6 	Rigg St 	5 
Nobel Dr 	12 	Younglove Ave 	9 	Miramar Dr 	6 	S Branciforte Ave 5 
Sumner St 	12 	3rd St 	 	8 	Monterey St 	6 	San Jose Ave 	5 
California St 	11 	Auburn Ave 	8 	Nevada St 	6 	Serra Ct 	5 
Columbia St 	11 	Belmont St 	8 	Palmetta St 	6 	Union St 	5 

Street 	# of Surveys 	Street 	# of Surveys 	Street 	# of Surveys 	Street 	# of Surveys 
Woodrow Ave 	5 	Pine Pl 	4 	Heath St 	3 	Allegro Dr 	2 
Younger Way 	5 	Poplar Ave 	4 	Hebard St 	3 	Arbor Ave 	2 
4th Ave 	4 	Riverside Ave 	4 	Jessie St 	3 	Arroyo Pl 	2 
Almar Ave 	4 	Rockridge Ln 	4 	Josefa Way 	3 	Beach St 	2 
Alta Vista Dr 	4 	Roxas St 	4 	Kalkar Dr 	3 	Beachview Ave 	2 
Annie Ln 	4 	Seaview Ave 	4 	La Fonda Ave 	3 	Blackburn St 	2 
Anthony St 	4 	Shaffer Rd 	4 	Ladera Dr 	3 	Bronson St 	2 
Belvedere Terrace 4 	Swift St 	4 	Magnolia St 	3 	Brook Ave 	2 
Berkeley Ct 	4 	Village Circle 	4 	Marine Parade 	3 	Brookwood Dr 	2 
Berkshire Ave 	4 	Vista Bella Dr 	4 	Moore St 	3 	Calvin Pl 	2 
Brookside Ave 	4 	3rd Ave 	3 	Prospect Heights 3 	Carbonera Ct 	2 
Centennial St 	4 	Anderson St 	3 	Quarry Ln 	3 	Cardiff Pl 	2 
Center St 	4 	Baldwin St 	3 	Rincon St 	3 	Catalpa St 	2 
Chace St 	4 	Berkeley Way 	3 	River St 	3 	Chico Ave 	2 
Crestview Terrace 4 	Berry St 	3 	Rocky Rd 	3 	Chrystal Terrace 2 
E Cliff Dr 	4 	Blaine St 	3 	Sacramento Ave 	3 	Continental St 	2 
Errett Circle 	4 	Button St 	3 	Santa Cruz St 	3 	Cooper St 	2 
Fridley Dr 	4 	Calcita Dr 	3 	Seton Way 	3 	Dakota Ave 	2 
Hillcrest Terrace 4 	California Ave 	3 	Sheldon Ave 	3 	Dimond St 	2 
Liberty St 	4 	Chilverton St 	3 	Sherman St 	3 	Encinal St 	2 
Locust St 	4 	Clark Ave 	3 	Spruce St 	3 	Estates Dr 	2 
Majors St 	4 	Clay St 	3 	Stockton Ave 	3 	Everson Dr 	2 
Melrose Ave 	4 	Cliff St 	3 	Storey St 	3 	Gault St 	2 
Merced Ave 	4 	De La Costa Ave 3 	Sunset Ave 	3 	Glenwood Ave 	2 
Mountain View Ave 4 	Echo St 	3 	Wavecrest Ave 	3 	Hagemann Ct 	2 
Nanna Ct 	4 	Effey St 	3 	Wendell St 	3 	Hall St 	2 
Olive St 	4 	Elm St 	 	3 	Acacia Way 	2 	Harmony Ct 	2 
Otis St 	4 	Emeline Ave 	3 	Acadia Ave 	2 	Hollywood Ave 	2 
Pennsylvania Ave 4 	Forest Ave 	3 	Algea St 	2 	Hubbard St 	2 

Street 	# of Surveys 	Street 	# of Surveys 	Street 	# of Surveys 	Street 	# of Surveys 
Hunolt St 	2 	Surfside Ave 	2 	college 8 Rd 	1 	Highland Ct 	1 
Iowa Dr 	2 	Sutphen St 	2 	Coral St 	1 	Hugus Ave 	1 
James St 	2 	Swanton Blvd 	2 	Crespi Ct 	1 	Isbel Ct 	1 
Jeter St 	2 	Sylvar St 	2 	Cypress Ave 	1 	Jenne St 	1 
Jewell St 	2 	Tosca Terrace 	2 	Cypress Park 	1 	Kennan St 	1 
Kenneth St 	2 	Tree Frog Ln 	2 	Dake Ave 	1 	Koshland Way 	1 
Kirby St 	2 	Via Hermosa 	2 	Delaveaga Park Dr 1 	Las Ondas Ct 	1 
Logan St 	2 	Weeks Ave 	2 	Dellview Ave 	1 	Laurel St Ext 	1 
Main St 	2 	Westmoor Ct 	2 	Donna Ct 	1 	Limestone Ln 	1 
Mariner Park Way 2 	Woods St 	2 	Doyle St 	1 	Los Altos Ct 	1 
Mason St 	2 	1st Ave 	1 	Easterby Ave 	1 	Mary Case Ln 	1 
McMillan Ct 	2 	1st St 	 	1 	Escalona Ct 	1 	May Ave 	1 
McMillan Dr 	2 	2nd Ave 	1 	Esmeralda Ct 	1 	Mesa Ln 	1 
McPherson St 	2 	38th Avenue 	1 	Eucalyptus Ave 	1 	Miller Ct 	1 
Mentel Ave 	2 	Anita St 	1 	Fairview Pl 	1 	Minnie St 	1 
Neary St 	2 	Barson St 	1 	Fernside St 	1 	Misty Ct 	1 
Northrop Pl 	2 	Baymount St 	1 	Fieldcrest Ln 	1 	Mott Ave 	1 
Oregon St 	2 	Bayona Drive 	1 	Francis Ct 	1 	Mountain View Ct 1 
Pasture Rd 	2 	Bellevue St 	1 	Front St 	1 	Murray St 	1 
Pilkington Ave 	2 	Benito Ave 	1 	Gilbert Ct 	1 	Oak Way 	1 
Pioneer St 	2 	Bixby St 	1 	Gina Ct 	1 	Oriole Ln 	1 
Plymouth St 	2 	Burton Dr 	1 	Glenview St 	1 	Ortalon Circle 	1 
Redwood St 	2 	Camille Ln 	1 	Glover St 	1 	Owen St 	1 
Rooney St 	2 	Canfield Ave 	1 	Graham Ave 	1 	Park Ave 	1 
Sadi St 	2 	Cardiff Ct 	1 	Green St 	1 	Parnell St 	1 
Scenic St 	2 	Carl Ave 	1 	Hammond Ave 	1 	Pendegast Ave 	1 
Seaborg Pl 	2 	Claremont Terrace 1 	Harrison Ave 	1 	Phelan Ct 	1 
Southview Terrace 2 	Cleveland Ave 	1 	Heller Drive 	1 	Plum St 	1 
Suburbia Ave 	2 	Coalinga Way 	1 	Hiawatha Ave 	1 	Potrero St 	1 

Street 	# of Surveys 
Princeton St 	1 
Pryce St 	1 
Rankin St 	1 
Rathburn Way 	1 
Refugio Rd 	1 
Reno Way 	1 
Roger Dr 	1 
Roosevelt Terrace 1 
San Lorenzo Blvd 1 
Shelter Lagoon Dr 1 
Stoneybrook Way 1 
Stoneycreek Rd 	1 
Suburbia Ct 	1 
Sunnyside Ave 	1 
Sunnyslope Ct 	1 
Taylor St 	1 
Towne Terrace 	1 
Trinity St 	1 
Vernon St 	1 
Wanzer St 	1 
West Ave 	1 
Westmoor Dr 	1 
Woodland Way 	1 
	

ps. Have you taken the survey? Do it now: SantaCruzFiber.com.

After the first 1,244 surveys, we stopped and took a snapshot so you can see how your neighborhood is doing. (We meant to count at 1,000 surveys but they were coming in really fast!)

The more Cruzio customers and survey takers a neighborhood has, the higher up it can go on the list. If you’re a Cruzio customer and take the survey, even better.

Surveys are particularly important for neighborhoods that are complicated or far from downtown. If it’s complicated to lay fiber to your area, we really need to see a lot of interest!

(Remember, to see a map of neighborhoods, look at our previous blog post. Or just take the survey, when you put in your address you’ll see what neighborhood you’re in.)

First of all, check out the pins below. People in every neighborhood in Santa Cruz have said they want gigabit Internet.

Which neighborhood had the most surveys out of the first 1,244? Here’s a chart:

You can see that certain neighborhoods have way more people contributing than others.

When you look at percentages, though, the neighborhoods are a lot closer. It makes sense — the smallest number of surveys comes from Harvey West, and few people live there. When you look at the percentages, though, you’ll see neighborhoods aren’t so different. Just a few extra surveys can have a big effect.

Every survey makes a difference! Remember to tell friends and family to take the survey. SantaCruzFiber.com.

To get fiber to every building in the City of Santa Cruz, Cruzio has divided the town up into 26 separate neighborhoods. Each will have its own hub leading back to Cruzio’s powerful Internet backbone.

Every neighborhood has about 1,000 homes or fewer, based on what a hub can comfortably accommodate and how the terrain is laid out. Our engineers drew borders along major roads and environmental barriers like arroyos or creeks.

We’ll build to as many neighborhoods as we can right off the bat. And neighborhoods will have priority based on several factors, the most important of which is enthusiasm. If we know we’ll have plenty of customers in a neighborhood, we’ll be much more likely to build there.

To see who’s interested, we put a survey up at SantaCruzFiber.com. The survey, along with a count of our existing customers, will be critical in determining whose neighborhood gets gigabit service first.

How’s your neighborhood doing? Check the next blog post to see.

Here’s a map showing where the neighborhoods lie:

Fiber neighborhoods in Santa Cruz

If you’re like us at Cruzio, you get excited about planetary events. This Sunday, September 27th 2015, is a peachy one. There will be a total lunar eclipse at the same time there’s a harvest moon — the biggest moon of the year. The moon looks big when it’s close, and this is the closest it comes, or the “perigee.”  It will look 14% bigger than usual.

The moon will also look red. Here’s why.

Here’s when to look for the eclipse on the West Coast:

   Pacific Daylight Time (September 27, 2015)
   Partial umbral eclipse begins: 6:07 p.m. PDT on September 27
   Total eclipse begins: 7:11 p.m. PDT
   Greatest eclipse: 7:47 p.m. PDT
   Total eclipse ends: 8:23 p.m. PDT
   Partial eclipse ends: 9:27 p.m. PDT

Note that sunset on September 27th is supposed to occur at 6:58 pm. It won’t be fully dark for much of the event. This, plus our often-present fog, will make it less dependably spectacular than it might be in other parts of the country. If it’s too foggy to get a good look, as an alternative NASA will be streaming the event live. 

So will Sky and Telescope.

And you’ll be able to go back and look at the video afterward, if you miss it.

Here’s the visibility predicted for that day:

Fingers crossed for clear skies! See you under the moon…

We noticed some new markings on the street yesterday and wondered what they were. Maybe you did, too.

The City of Santa Cruz Public Works Department knows what they are. Here’s the explanation they sent out, with some photos — it’s not on the City’s website yet so we just copied it from a press release.

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