PORT ANGELES — By the end of next year, Port Angeles could become one of the most wired cities in the nation.
A citywide wireless network, essentially making the 10.7-square-mile town one big Internet hot spot, is on the verge of becoming a reality.
Tonight, the City Council will consider approval of the $3.7 million largely federally funded project, giving the OK for the construction of nearly three miles of new fiber lines and installation of 240 wireless points, a few of which will be placed at the Lower Elwha Klallam reservation.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
The city will contribute $1.1 million to the project, which staff believe could be in place by the end of 2012.
The effort has its share of fans, but perhaps none as enthusiastic as Police Chief Terry Gallagher.
Gallagher has been one of the leading staff members behind the project, which initially started as simply a way to increase public safety.
Help law enforcement
The network, while allowing residents and visitors to connect the Web from any spot in the city, will also a boon to law enforcement, he said, by allowing them to do everything they can do at the police station in their patrol vehicles.
That includes filing reports, quickly accessing information about locations and criminals, and even controlling surveillance cameras.
“This is one of the greatest opportunities the city has ever been presented,” Gallagher told the city’s Utility Advisory Committee on Friday, which is recommending approval of the project.
“We’re being given a 21st century utility,” he later added.
The Fire Department also will use the network, which allow it to easily get up-to-date information on buildings when responding to fires, and even receive patient information at the scene of a medical call.
The network will cost the departments $70 per month for each vehicle, $30 of which will go toward a capital account.
A total of 38 city vehicles (33 police and five fire) will be connected, for a monthly charge of $2,660.
That doesn’t include the $47 per vehicle monthly charge the Police Department is expected to eliminate by no longer using Internet air cards.
Gallagher and Fire Chief Dan McKeen said they would eliminate other expenses if the council doesn’t expand their budgets to fund the equipment.
Important to chief
“This is important enough to me,” Gallagher said while responding to a question on the cost from a UAC member, “if I have to find the money, I will find the money.”
“If it costs us $25,000 a year,” he added, “I think that’s money well spent.”
The network is estimated to cost the city $32,943 a year to maintain.
The city will get a share of the retail wireless revenue, which it anticipates will be around $72,000 a year at the start.
Public wireless networks are nothing new, nor are such networks for police and fire.
Other communities have tried both, though typically not as extensive, Greg Murphy, vice president of outdoor and mesh networks with Aruba Networks, said.
“This is what many cities can only dream of,” he told members of the UAC and City Council last week.
Aruba of Sunnyvale, Calif., is one three companies partnering with Capacity Provisioning Inc. of Port Angeles for the nearly
$2.6 million proposed contract to install the network.
Federal funding
The federal funding, from the stimulus program, is passed through the nonprofit Northwest Open Access Network.
William Kopp, NoaNet chief technical officer, said about $170 million in funding is being allocated to 55 communities in the state through the program.
Most involve the creation of fiber networks, said Kopp, who called the Port Angeles project “pretty unique.”
The grant requires the project to be done by August 2013.
East Jefferson County is also the recipient of funding through the program.
About $3.2 million in federal funds will be spent to create a fiber network within the next two years.
Wireless access is expected to be part of that, but not as extensive as in Port Angeles, Kopp said.
Retail Internet service through the network would be provided, at least at first, by OlyPen.
The service through the company would cost between $17.95 and $37.95 per month, depending on speed, which can range from 1.5 to 6 megabits per second.
Larry Dunbar, Port Angeles deputy power systems manager, said the network is open to any retailer that enters an agreement with the city. Olypen is the only one to do so, he said.
The company plans to offer free access throughout the city for one hour a day and 24-hour free access for 12 days a year, to be selected by the city.
All-day free access may be used during events like the Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival, staff said.
Nathan West, city economic and community development director, said the network will make the Port Angeles place to do business and visit.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for us to be at the forefront of technology,” he said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
