Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council/Successor Agency to the Former Cotati Community Redevelopment Agency
Subject: Purchase and installation of equipment and infrastructure to support wireless internet access at La Plaza Park.
Date: May 23, 2023
Written by: Angela Courter, Director of Administrative Services Recommendation
It is recommended the City of Cotati City Council approve by motion the quote for services from KLH Consulting for the product purchases and professional services installation and configuration to provide public wireless internet in La Plaza Park.
Background
In October of 2022, City staff engaged with Comcast to design and propose a plan to bring wi-fi access to La Plaza Park. An initial cost reimbursement agreement was entered into to move forward with their design and to hold any required equipment. An initial deposit was also provided to Comcast for $7,881. Comcast initiated design and provided preliminary horizontal drilling to pull required fiber cabling under La Plaza, near W. Cotati Ave., in advance of the current street construction work.
After engaging with Comcast, City staff additionally coordinated with KLH Consulting to generate a plan for security and access for wi-fi. They have provided a proposal for an amount not to exceed $29,717.46 to set up the remaining mesh network using Ruckus access points throughout the park.
Analysis/Discussion
Providing wireless internet services at La Plaza park consists of coordinated work with Comcast to bring the fiber cables to the park as there was no reasonably close service to pull from. Comcast pulled required encroachment permits from both the City for access to public infrastructure as well as AT&T for access to their utility poles. This part of the project has taken a significant amount of time, as the permits through AT&T require several months to gain approval. Simultaneously, City Staff worked with several teams at Comcast to develop a plan to get across La Plaza near W.
Cotati Ave. well in advance of the road project so as not to have to dig into a newly paved road.
With the final approvals from AT&T, Comcast pulled the required fiber connections through to La Plaza Park and are finalizing installation of their equipment behind the bandstand stage. With this installed, we now have access to fiber to install the required lockable enclosure, router, exterior additional mesh access points and a rack mounted UPS device to provide backup power to the devices even during a short-term power outage. It is intended that for longer-term power outages, the City could install a temporary backup generator to continue service. During disaster operations, La Plaza Park could be used as a resiliency site, with water, restrooms and wifi for calls or general internet access. Unlike cable internet, fiber internet stays “lit” during power outages and will continue to be functional unless it is physically damaged.
The quoted outdoor wireless system is fully manageable and intended to be set up with an initial user login page where specific terms of services would be agreed to. Once the user agrees to the terms it would then launch the user to the City’s website. This system is also intended to have blacklisted site capability where any blacklisted site would not be able to be accessed through the connection.
The timeline for the project is anticipated to continue through June with hopeful completion by July 1st. Expediting this project for approval allows for better access of citizens and community partners during our busy summer programs.
Financial Considerations
The cost incurred to date for this project includes the deposit with Comcast of $7,881. With the additional KLH contract of $29,717, plus additional public works materials expected not to exceed $750, the total project cost is proposed as $38,348 and will be expended from the General Fund Parks Tech and Data Contract account 101-22-80186. These balances were not included within the proposed budget and as such we are requesting a budget amendment for this value for the fiscal year 2022/23 from the unappropriated fund balance.
Ongoing costs for the fiber service from Comcast are quoted at $725/month and end user support and advanced replacement coverage for the wireless access points are also $2,940 per year. For a total ongoing cost of $11,640 per year starting in 2023/24.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is deemed to qualify for a Class 1 categorical exemption under CEQA, section 15301, (existing facilities) in that it consists of the operations and minor alternation of an existing public facility.
Attachments:
KLH Consulting - La Plaza Park Wifi Quote for Product and Services (PDF)