THE DALLES — In an effort to modernize and improve public internet access, The Dalles City Council has approved a new contract to overhaul the city’s municipal wifi system. The decision, made during the council meeting on June 24, marks a significant step towards providing reliability and security to this free internet access in key outdoor public areas throughout the city.
The new contract was proposed by Ann Moorehead, city special projects manager and RARE AmeriCorp Volunteer. Moorehead presented a comprehensive plan to address the aging and unreliable wifi infrastructure initially deployed in 2011.
“I have found that there’s a number of people in the city who don’t know we have a system,” Moorehead said during her presentation.
The original system, installed by Gorge Networks and supported by Google and QualityLife (Q-Life) for fiber infrastructure, has not seen significant updates since 2015, Moorehead said. She noted that documentation in the last phases of previous updates had been limited.
City plans to narrow the wifi’s scope while enhancing security
The original wifi system expanded in phases until 2013, covering most of the downtown core, parks, and commercial parking lots along W. Sixth Street. However, by 2014-2015, planned expansions and hardware updates were only partially implemented.
“The system now lacks security updates for at least five years and is proven unreliable for the people of The Dalles,” said Moorehead.
Recognizing these issues, city staff initiated a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to modernize the system. In preparation, extensive research and mapping of the existing system were conducted to inform the new RFP, which was issued on April 3.
“This RFP focused on just outdoor public areas such as parks where we could provide an amenity to the community to help with tourism, economic development, and equitable access to internet,” Moorehead said.
The city received a single proposal from Actual Broadband, a local company with a track record of successful projects in the area.
The proposal, with a cost range of $248,216.84 to $286,584.99, included two options: one assuming existing fiber connections and another for wireless connections where fiber was not feasible.
Cost breakdowns for dismantling, installation
The approved contract focuses on two main aspects: Dismantling the current system and installing a new, phased wifi system.
According to Moorehead, Actual Broadband will plan to dismantle the existing system, priced at $29,250, in approximately 45 days.
The installation of the new system will be executed in phases due to budget constraints.
Phase 1, budgeted at $150,000, prioritizes high-traffic and city-owned areas such as Second and Federal streets, City Park, the cruise ship dock, Lewis and Clark Festival Park, Thompson City Park and Sorosis Park.
The total cost for Phase 1 is estimated at $142,422.60, with an ongoing monthly management fee of $535.
Phase 2, to be completed upon securing additional funding, will include Firehouse Park, Kramer Field, Quinton Street Ballpark and Fort Dalles Museum. This cost is estimated at $198,400.59 with an ongoing monthly management fee of $825.
“There are some locations that can only be connected to via fiber, including the Dallas Transit Center, Kiwanis Park, the Dallas Discovery Center, parking lot and Riverfront Park,” Moorehead said, “and those have been put on the list as being postponed until fiber can reach there and we can consider them again.”
The new system’s hardware has a projected lifespan of five years, with potential software support extending up to 10 years. The phased installation approach allows for gradual replacement and maintenance, ensuring the system remains functional and secure over time.
City Manager Matthew Klebes noted that Moorehead’s tenure as special projects manager is coming to an end with the close of her RARE AmeriCorp service term.
Councilor Tim McLoughlin, who presided over the meeting in the absence of Mayor Richard Mays, said he appreciated Moorehead’s work and her report.
Upon the unanimous approval of the wifi contract, he joked to her, “Your request to leave is denied.”
As the city moves forward with these upgrades, residents and visitors can look forward to a more reliable and secure wifi experience in public spaces.
Council approves annual wastewater contract amendment
Public Works Director Dave Anderson addressed the council, outlining both an annual amendment to the wastewater treatment plant operations contract and the pursuit of funding for updating the Wastewater Facilities Master Plan.
Anderson presented the annual amendment to the operations contract with Operations Management International Inc. (OMI), a subsidiary of Jacobs Engineering.
“You may recall that last year, we authorized a new 15-year operating contract with OMI for the operation of the city’s wastewater treatment plant,” Anderson told the council. “Just like the contracts in prior years, that contract gets updated or amended annually to update the operating costs for the coming year for the current year.”
The amendment included a 5.1% increase in direct costs, primarily because of a significant rise in treatment chemicals, laboratory fees, electricity and natural gas costs. The management fee will increase by 5%, resulting in a total contract cost of $1,427,254 for the upcoming fiscal year.
Anderson emphasized that the proposed increases are reasonable and consistent with the city’s own budget adjustments for similar costs at its Wicks Water Treatment Plant.
The amendment also outlines OMI’s cybersecurity responsibilities and maintains the shared risk philosophy for certain utility cost increases beyond budgeted amounts.
Expected increases to wastewater capacity require plan upgrades
In addition to the contract amendment, Anderson addressed the need to update the city’s 20-year Wastewater Facilities Master Plan, originally established 11 years ago.
Anderson explained that since the last update, significant changes, including plant upgrades completed in 2018 and the construction of two new Google data centers, necessitate a comprehensive review and update of the plan. The current fiscal year’s budget has allocated $650,000 for this purpose.
Anderson highlighted the following needed upgrades:
Foaming Problem: A persistent issue for decades, affecting the treatment process.
Broken Outfall Pipe: Needs repair to ensure proper discharge into the Columbia River.
Effluent Pumping Capacity: Increasing capacity to prevent flooding during storm events.
Dewatering Biosolids: Reducing water content to lower trucking and land application costs.
Low-Strength Wastewater Treatment: Planning for treatment from the new data centers, which poses unique challenges.
Additionally, the city is in the process of renewing its discharge permit and seeks to increase its rated capacity from 4.15 million gallons per day to 6 million gallons per day.
Anderson introduced two potential funding sources to fund the update:
Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF): A five-year loan at 0.87% interest, with up to $100,000 potentially forgiven. The city plans to use the loan for the update, get the maximum amount forgiven, and then pay off the remainder immediately to avoid interest.
Business Oregon Water/Wastewater Financing Program: If eligible, this program could provide a grant of up to $20,000 and a 30-year loan at 1% interest, with 50% of the loan forgivable. This could contribute approximately $325,000 to the project, following a similar strategy of immediate loan payoff.