Google has promised it will not be building a cable landing station (CLS) next to a locally important memorial site in Bermuda.
The company said last week it wouldn't be building at Annie's Bay Park on St David's Island for its upcoming Nuvem cable, reports The Royal Gazette.
The company does intend, however, to use the site's manhole for the cable cable, which will connect Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Bermuda, and Sesimbra, Portugal.
Residents of St David's Island were concerned that the company would need to build a large CLS at the site, resulting in St David's Island Historical Society requesting that the site be taken off a list of potential locations, describing the site as "sacrosanct" and that "building this anywhere near Annie's Bay to the north, either side of the road, up the hill or to the west would be a travesty."
Annie's Bay Park is home to a memorial for St David's families that were forced to give up their land for the war effort and is the only historical bay that was not destroyed by the US Military takeover during WW2.
During a town hall meeting held on November 10, it was confirmed that Google would not be using the site for a cable landing station, labeling concerns as 'a misunderstanding'.
David Robles, Google’s global sub-sea construction lead, said: “The first thing that I am going to get out of the way is dispelling the story that we are building a structure in Annie’s Bay.
“That is a misperception of the announcement. There really is no structure that will be built at Annie’s Bay, so that was a misconception that we need to clear up straight away.”
Instead, Robles says the planned "landing point" is merely the coordinates where the submarine cable will meet the shore, and will use the manhole already in place that serves several subsea cables, the same as at Devonshire Bay.
The cable will then go from the manhole to the existing GlobeNet landing station located nearby to the private airport.
Ultimately, the GlobeNet facility isn't big enough for Google's long-term plans, so the company is looking to build a 50,000 sq ft (4,645 sqm) cable landing station between the Southside police station and the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre - a site currently used as a dirt track for remote-controlled cars. Google is intending to sponsor a new location for the track, should plans be approved.
Robles reiterated that all plans are still very "early days" and that, for now, "nothing has been signed by any means."
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