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CLEAR Temp: 55 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 23, 2002 Rogue River expects Qwest payment Central Telephone Inc. to take over coin-operated telephones within the city limits By SANNE SPECHT for the Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — The city appears to be having more than its share of troubles with phone companies. City officials say Qwest is nearly two years in arrears on franchise fees collected from residents’ phone bills, and a company recently removed the city’s two pay phones. City Administrator Mark Reagles said Qwest owes more than $2,500 in franchise fees negotiated in an October 2000 contract. "The City Council re-wrote the franchise agreement, raising our fee from 4 percent to 5 percent. Qwest signed the agreement, but we didn’t get any money," said Reagles. The agreement, which is written in the form of a city ordinance, was unanimously approved by the city. It passed on Sept. 28, 2000, was approved by Qwest and signed on Oct. 26, 2000, city records show. According to Reagles, Qwest representative Gary Miller informed him the document made its way to Qwest’s corporate offices in Portland. However, it had not finished its routing to Colorado, where Qwest’s headquarters are and where franchise checks are disbursed. "They said they’ll fix it and send us a check. It should be somewhere around $2,500," said Reagles. "I suppose in the scheme of things, it’s not that much. But now we’ve got this other phone situation where this new company came in and took out our pay phones." Rogue River’s two pay phones have been out of service since Alpha Tel-Com Inc. of Salem went bankrupt earlier this year. Reagles said he received a letter from Richard Stevens, president of Central Telephone Inc. which began with "Dear Valued Customer." The letter states Central Telephone Inc. will be taking over service for the bankrupt Alpha Tel-Com Inc. with regard to coin-operated telephones within the city limits. After a brief explanation of the transfer of service, the next part of the letter reads, "Please be patient with us during this transition time so that we have time to get to your location and get your pay phone(s) up and running in good order. We have hired extra technicians to get your phones covered in a timely manner." The final paragraphs referenced Central Telephone’s plans to pay Rogue River its quarterly commission checks and hopes for an "ongoing successful relationship." Reagles said he was glad to know a new company was replacing Alpha Tel-Com. He also was looking forward to the city phones being back in business. "People are always asking us when the phone outside City Hall is going to be fixed. We were prepared to be patient, but last week Central Telephone representatives came and removed the phones right out of the booths," said Reagles. When Reagles called to question the removal, he was told the two phones might be gone for good. "They said they would be reviewing usage and income potential for the pay phones. They said they might not bring them back if they don’t like the numbers they see," said Reagles. Gary Miller of Qwest and Richard Stevens of Central Telephone were unavailable for comment. Sanne Specht is a free-lance writer living in Rogue River. Reach her at [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S