SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) — After KPIX 5 reported on Google’s mysterious project on a barge off Treasure Island, reports have surfaced of the tech giant building similar floating structures outside of the Bay Area.
A report appearing in the Portland (Maine) Press Herald showed shipping containers stacked on a barge in Maine – with the structure appearing virtually identical to the Bay Area barge. Also, an unconfirmed report suggested a Google barge is taking shape in New London, Connecticut.
As KPIX 5 exclusively reported on Friday, Google is believed to be building the floating structures to market Google Glass — the cutting edge wearable computer
that the company has under development.
that the company has under development.
“They’re building on both coasts,” said a source familiar with the Google project.
Google, for its part, maintained a stolid silence on the matter, as did many Bay Area maritime officials. Google is reliably said to have sent upwards of $10 million on the project so far. With that kind of money in play, and presumably more to come, no one is anxious to speak out of turn.
But Larry Goldzband, executive director of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, told KPIX 5 the Portland barge structure appeared to be the same kind of floating building that Google is constructing in the Bay Area.
Both the Maine and Bay Area barges are owned by a company called By and Large, which has leased a large swath of pier and an abandoned U.S. Navy hangar from the Treasure Island Development Authority – a lease reliably said to be costing $100,000 a month. Officials have not responded to requests for comment.
hangar from the Treasure Island Development Authority – a lease reliably said to be costing $100,000 a month. Officials have not responded to requests for comment.
