Very limited information was available regarding the number of federal
employees living near the three sites selected, how many of those employees
would be interested in using the facilities, or which of the federal agencies
and managers in those areas would be willing to allow their employees to
use the sites. As the program continued, it became clear that the Santa
Clarita facility received much more interest from users than either the
Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys location or the Thousand Oaks and Westlake location.
The lack of detailed information in site selection seems to have been a
significant factor in the eventual closure of these two centers.
Modesto Neighborhood Telework Workcentre
This center opened August 1994 and closed November 15, 1995. It was developed and operated under the direction of the City of Modesto with support from the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Management District (SJVAQMD) and the RABO program. The City of Modesto and Pacific Bell provided in-kind funding: the city provided accounting services and some administrative support and oversight, and Pacific Bell donated furniture.
Although usage levels were relatively high for the center, and Lawrence Livermore Laboratories as well as two other companies maintained a strong presence in the telecenter, the center came into jeopardy when it lost its AQMD funding. In 1995, the SJVAQMD implemented a new rating system using quantity of emissions reduced as a measure of merit in awarding funding to projects competing for grant money. Because the center could not yet demonstrate significant poundage of annual emission reduction, it placed low on the list of programs requesting funds. Funding instead went to used-vehicle buy-back programs. The center was further compromised as a result of delays in the RABO program funding. As a result, client organizations refused to commit to continue using the center until it could demonstrate greater stability, and the center lost users.
The City of Modesto agreed to fund the center's on-going operations on a month-to-month basis with a view to recovering all costs expended. An application for State Petroleum Violation Escrow Account (see "Terms and Definitions" section) funds was submitted and denied in September. Although Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, the federal GSA, and the RABO program all attempted to forestall its closing, in November 1995, the City of Modesto terminated operations of the center.
The center itself was located in an office building next to strip commercial development and directly adjacent to several residential neighborhoods. Until August 1995 the center comprised 2,300 square feet of space which was then reduced to 1,062 square feet of space. The original center contained two private offices, an open area with six workspaces, and a conference room. Computer equipment for the center consisted of seven IBM 486 PCs and one Macintosh computer, all with modems. The center also had two color ink jet printers and two laser printers. Two ISDN lines were installed by one employer in a private office for dedicated use in the center by its employees.
Since marketing funds were limited, marketing and promotion for the
center was confined to that which could be done for free and to donated
resources. The site administrator was very successful at generating free
publicity for the telecenter. Human interest stories about the center and
its telecommuters were aired on the news broadcasts of the three major
Sacramento television stations during 1995. In addition, the administrator
addressed different professional associations and groups in the region
and was very successful at generating contacts that way. As part of the
donated publicity, a billboard promoting the center was mounted along one
of the main highways; however, it generated little response and resulted
in no new users.
Telebusiness Workcenter
The Telebusiness Workcenter in Ontario closed its doors on June 30, 1996. It was established in 1991 by the Inland Empire Economic Partnership as a two-year pilot project and opened in October of that year. In January 1994, the City of Ontario assumed oversight and operations responsibilities for the center, and until its closure, an independent, non-profit institute for policy research, Center for the New West, managed it. The city made the decision to terminate operations partly in response to financial pressures, partly as a response to low daily usage levels, and partly because it was felt that the major objectives of the pilot project had been met. When the city first took over operations of the center, it was hoped that the center would become either self-sustaining or be privatized. In the absence of either circumstance, the city could not afford to continue operating the center. Charges per workstation ranged between $100 to $150 per month, but operating costs per workstation ran $500.00 per month. And although the center had 25 to 30 regular telecommuters, only two or three were at the facility on any given day, which was not considered enough to warrant continuing operations.
The center was located just off the freeway near the Ontario airport. It comprised 18 workstations, two conference rooms, a kitchen, a separate lounge area, and two semi-private offices. All workstations were equipped with personal computers, including 386s, 486s, and a few IBM PS/2 model 30s. One of the conference rooms was equipped with a PictureTel 1000 videoconference system. Other equipment included four laser printers, several dot matrix printers, and facsimile and photocopy machines. Voice mail could be supplied upon request, and the center had installed a fiber optic link to support advanced telework activities as needed.
Support for the center came from the City of Ontario, Caltrans, GTE, and PictureTel and Intel, both of which donated videoconferencing equipment and computers; and in February 1995, Xerox provided upgraded photocopy and fax machines.
Marketing for the center consisted of hosting open houses and tours of the facility, and of networking with other centers in the Inland Empire Economic Partnership (High Desert Telebusiness Center, Highland Telework Center, Ontario Telebusiness Workcenter, and Pomona Telebusiness Workcenter) to develop marketing strategies. A program providing services to patrons of the City's major hotels was implemented with a fair degree of success. These services included use of copy/fax machines, phones, computers, workstations, private offices, and videoconferencing. Under this program, an Israeli delegation which was staying at one of the hotels for an extended period of time leased three to four workstations for approximately nine months. Overall, this particular component yielded considerable added value to the center.
South Placer Transportation Management Association
Auburn, Citrus Heights, and Rocklin
The Auburn Telecenter, the Citrus Heights Telecenter, and the Rocklin Telecenter were three of four centers developed by the South Placer County Transportation Management Association. The fourth center is the Roseville Telecenter, which to the authors' knowledge, remains open and is operated by a private enterprise. The Citrus Heights Telecenter, the Auburn Telecenter, and the Rocklin Telecenter opened March 1, 1994, March 15, 1994, and October 4, 1994 respectively. The exact dates of their closure are not known, but all closed in early 1995. The Citrus Heights center and the Auburn center were established under, and for a very brief period of time partially funded by, the RABO program. Reasons for closure of the Rocklin and Auburn centers were not reported, although the SPTMA office indicated at one time that the Citrus Heights Telecenter had been closed because it was located outside Placer County. Operating history of these centers was not provided. The following brief description of the facilities and equipment for each site is taken from the December 1994 Status Tracking Report:
The Auburn Telecenter contained 1,685 square feet consisting of 12 workstations, a conference room, copier, fax, modem, computers, printer, phones, voice mailboxes, and ISDN lines. Amenities included daycare center and health club facilities within the complex, shower facilities and proximity to restaurants and shopping.
The Citrus Heights Telecenter was located in the historic Rusch
House, situated within the botanical gardens of the original homestead.
The center was 1,203 square feet consisting of 9 workstations, a conference
room, copier, fax, computer, printer, modem, phones, and voice mailboxes.
The telecenter was located on the grounds of a community park complex with
swimming pool, walking paths, tennis courts, ball fields and picnic facilities.
The Sunrise Park and Recreation Department runs a day-care facility in
the park complex and private day-care center is within walking distance.
The Rocklin Telecenter was approximately 1,600 square feet consisting of 12 workstations, a conference room, copier, fax, modem, computer, printer, phones and voice mailboxes. Amenities included a day-care center located next to the telecenter, Stanford Ranch restaurants within walking distance, shopping and banking.
For each site, the first month's rent was free with a six month commitment
(except for long-distance telecommunication charges and photo copies).
After the initial one month period, costs were to rise to a negotiable
rate of approximately $20.00 per day. Employers could reserve workstations
for as little as one day per week.
The Telecommuting WorkCenter of Riverside County
Portions of this summary were drawn from Telecommuting Centers and Related Concepts: A Review of Practice, by Michael Bagley, et al. Please see the section "Reports Available from the RABO Project" at the front of this document for more information.
This center opened in November 1991 and ceased operations July 1, 1995, after funding for the center expired. It was established jointly by the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, the State of California, the Riverside County Transportation Commission, and Pacific Bell, with additional start-up contributions from Southern California Edison, Stockwell & Binney, IBM, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Southern California Gas Company, Thomas Luebs & Mort, Xerox, the City of Riverside and PacTel Business Systems. It was originally planned as a one-year demonstration project designed to help address traffic congestion and vehicle emissions in the region. After operating for approximately two years under the direction of the IEEP, management of the center was transferred to the City of Riverside, which operated it until its closure.
The center originally occupied part of a one-story office building situated in a light industrial office park. Its 8,100 square feet contained 19 private offices and space for 24 additional office cubicles, and offered video- and audio-conferencing capabilities, two conference rooms, lunch room, reception area, and a site administrator's office. In all, the center could accommodate as many as 70 telecommuters daily, and at one point in 1993 had 40 telecommuters actively using the center, making it the most heavily-used multi-employer telecenter studied at the time.
In February 1994, the center was moved to a smaller, less expensive facility. The new center had 3,800 square feet and was located near Route 91 and a residential area. It comprised 16 open-area workstations, five private offices, and two more closed offices containing 5 workstations. Videoconferencing facilities were also available. Each participating employer paid for the cost of moving the equipment and furnishings used by its employees.
Post start-up funding for the center came from the County of Riverside
and the Petroleum Violation Escrow Account. Marketing activities focussed
on presentations to employers as well as networking with other centers
in Southern California (High Desert Telebusiness Workcenter, Pomona Telecommuting
Center, Ontario Telebusiness Workcenter, and Highland Telework Center)
to increase marketing effectiveness.
Santa Monica City College Telecenter
The following excerpt is from the December 1994 Status Tracking Report by Shirley Henderson et al:
The Santa Monica City College Telecenter was opened on March 1, 1994 in response to the Northridge earthquake, for the benefit of the workers normally using Interstate 10 (the Santa Monica Freeway) to commute to or through mid-Wilshire, downtown Los Angeles, and elsewhere within the region. I-10 was closed for two months following the quake, but reopened less than a month after the center opened. Thus, transportation effects of the quake provided little incentive for people to use the center. The center was a joint effort involving the City College, AT&T, the Southern California Emergency Telecommuting Partnership, and other organizations. AT&T operated the center and supplied much of its equipment and furnishings. Other equipment was donated by Kodak and PictureTel. The center closed on May 29, 1994 when AT&T reached the end of its 90-day contract with the City College. Neither the City College nor AT&T wanted to pursue further operation of the center since it did not demonstrate success during the trial period.
There were reportedly several reasons why the center did not succeed. One important reason was an apparent lack of consensus on who would perform what roles. Some parties expected the City College to operate and market the center, whereas the College appeared to view its role primarily as providing the physical space for the center. The College itself sustained $20 million of earthquake damage÷the highest of any community college affected÷and officials were preoccupied with obtaining emergency repairs and with re-opening the school for the second semester. Finally, one consequence of the above mentioned factors was insufficient attention to marketing. Half of a $5,000 marketing donation was used to hire a consultant for marketing ideas rather than directly hiring sales representatives to market the center. The center was advertised in the college newspaper and the course catalogs which were distributed throughout the Santa Monica community. While this strategy may have been useful in reaching prospective telecommuters, it did not reach the employers of those prospects.
No records were kept on the center's occupancy levels. The center had
20 open-area workstations with a two-line telephone and personal computer
in each workstation, two additional open-area workstations with desk top
videoconferencing, and a large conference room with two group videoconferencing
systems. Space, equipment, and most services were provided free of charge;
one exception is that telecommuters had to provide their own telephone
calling cards.
Simi Valley Telework Center
The Simi Valley Telework Center in Ventura County opened unofficially in June 1991 and officially in June 1993. It was closed in December 1995 for lack of use.
The center used excess space leased by the Simi Valley Transportation Management Association and had four workstations and a reception area. It was equipped with a copier, fax machines and videoconference equipment from Intel and PictureTel. Support for the telecenter came from the Transportation Management Association, which donated use of the space, and a $200,000 grant from the Petroleum Violation Escrow Account.
Throughout its lifespan, the center was used sporadically. Users tended to employ the facility for limited periods of time or specifically for short-term projects such as editing or desk-top publishing. Marketing for the center focused on presentations to employee transportation coordinators and coordination with the Southern California Telecommuting Partnership.
The lease rate for a workstation was listed as $300 per month, but the
amount was negotiable, depending upon the amount of use and user requirements.
Sonoma County Transit Telecommute Center
This center, operated by Sonoma County Transit and located on the California State University - Sonoma campus, was established as a pilot project in December 1994 to determine the level of interest for telecommuting in Sonoma County. Its first year of operations was funded by a $20,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration with additional support from Sonoma County Transit, which continued to underwrite operations for the second fiscal year ending June 1996. Approximately 50 people used the center on an infrequent basis over the course of the pilot project. Employer resistance to telecommuting prevented many interested employees from using the center. On June 30, 1996, it was closed when the initial funding had been exhausted and the university required the space back for its own operations.
The facility was a secured, temporary building on the campus. It offered four cubicle workstations, each equipped with a personal computer, modem, telephone, and answering machine. Peripheral support equipment included a shared laser printer, a facsimile machine, and a photocopier. Telecommuters could use the center up to two days per week for free. There was no on-site administrator; instead, telecommuters registered to use the center through the Telecommuting Coordinator at Sonoma County Transit, and were each assigned a personal code allowing access to the building and telephone system. Additionally, Sonoma County Transit provided free bus passes to users for the commute to and from the center. On-campus amenities included a cafeteria, Federal Express service, a day-care center, a library, and a bookstore.
Marketing activities included radio and television news reports, press
releases to newspapers in Marin and Sonoma Counties, newspaper advertisements,
and articles in local business journals and other publications.
Ulatis Telecenter in Vacaville
This center was one of two developed and operated by the City of Vacaville. It was opened in April 1994 with support from the city, the RABO program, and the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, and closed in June 1995.
The center was located in the Ulatis Community Center, a building which had been very recently constructed. Almost immediately after opening, structural problems began to occur. The site administrator initially scheduled the closure of the telecenter for a short period while repairs were completed. However, upon reviewing usage levels for both centers, he decided to close the Ulatis center and merge its operations with the Alamo (Three Oaks - Vacaville) Telecenter until the demand for workspaces justified reopening the Ulatis center.
The center contained 540 square feet housing seven cubicle workstations. There was no conference room available in the immediate area of the telecenter; however, rooms adjacent to the center in the Community Center building could be used for that purpose. The center was equipped with four Compaq 80486s with 9600 baud internal modems. On-site user services included access to fax and copy machines, and phones. The center also provided coffee, tea, and use of a refrigerator and microwave.
The area surrounding this site is mostly industrial mixed with commercial; the Factory Outlet stores, a large shopping complex, are within two blocks of the Community Center building. The residential neighborhood is at a slightly greater remove, but still within walking distance. Also within walking distance are the library and the community theater. The immediate area is well endowed with bike lanes, which serve the nearby residential neighborhood.
The space in Ulatis Community Center is still available for a telecenter,
and developers plan to use it for that purpose in the future; however,
no re-opening date has yet been established.
Ventura County Community Colleges District
Moorpark Community College Telecenter
The Moorpark Telecenter opened for use in April 1995 and closed at the end of June 1996 after 14 months. This was one of two centers established under the auspices of the State of California Community Colleges Chancellor's office through the Ventura County Community Colleges District with funding from the RABO program. The other is the Ventura Community College telecenter. Both centers were planned to be part of a larger program sponsored by Caltrans and developed by the Chancellor's office to establish telecenters on community college campuses state-wide. While the decision to establish the campus' telecenters and funding for them came from the RABO program through the VCCD offices, operations and management responsibilities devolved upon the individual campuses. In the case of the Moorpark center, strong support for the center at the administrative level never developed as it did in the Ventura center, and unfortunately, the state-wide community colleges program was terminated in the planning stages. Consequently, the Moorpark center was closed due to an administrative decision of the college when funding from the RABO program terminated and no other funding was made readily available.
The Moorpark center was located on the second floor of the campus library. It occupied two rooms totaling approximately 900 square feet with a niche for the site administrator's office, five cubicle workstations, and a conference room equipped with PictureTel Venue 2000 videoconference equipment used for distance learning and telemeetings. Office equipment consisted of two 486 personal computers with fax/modems and software and a Macintosh 7100 Power PC. There was also one shared laser printer, one external facsimile machine, a phone with voice-mail capability, and ISDN.
On-campus amenities included food service facilities, a bookstore, library resources, postal and Federal Express services, and UPS service upon request.
Marketing for the center was accomplished mostly in conjunction with the Ventura site, and consisted largely of participation in trade shows and expos, hosting open houses, and presentations to various professional associations. The Moorpark site administrator also conducted an intensive survey of the campus student body to help identify potential users. However, this did not yield the hoped-for results. Both centers received considerable unsolicited attention from the press which resulted in new users.
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