PORT ANGELES — Get ready to plug in.
Well, sort of.
The Port Angeles City Council gave the go-ahead Tuesday evening to a $3.7 million project that will turn the city into one large Internet hot spot, allowing residents and visitors to connect to the Web wirelessly from anywhere in town.
The project, funded with the help of $2.6 million in federal stimulus funds, is expected to be completed mid-2013, but customers should be able to begin tapping in by September, said Craig Johnson, vice president of Capacity Provisioning Inc., which will install and maintain the network.
Johnson said the network will make the city both better connected and, with its use by law enforcement, safer.
“You’re going to be able to step outside your door and be connected through this anywhere in town,” he said.
The council, which passed three agreements in 6-0 votes to approve the network, also lauded the project for its expected benefits.
Councilwoman Brooke Nelson, who recently gave birth, was absent.
“This is a huge step for the city,” Mayor Dan Di Guilio said. “Not too many communities can say their entire city is a Wi-Fi hot spot.”
Two of the agreements were with CPI of Port Angeles, whose fiber cables will be the backbone of the network.
They include a $2.5 million installation contract and a $28,383 annual network management contract, which also includes maintenance estimated at $4,560 a year.
The company is working with three subcontractors: Aruba Networks of Sunnyvale, Calif., Cascade Networks of Longview and Olympic Electric Co. of Port Angeles.
The third agreement went to OlyPen, which signed a non-exclusive contract with the city to sell Internet access.
It plans to charge $17.95 and $37.95 per month, depending on speed, which will range from 1.5 to 6 megabits per second.
Additionally, OlyPen will provide one-hour free access every day. Access will also be free for 24 hours 12 days a year. Those days are yet to be determined.
Police Chief Terry Gallagher, one of the strongest proponents of the network, called the network a “giant step forward.”
“I don’t know of any other project in the last 25 years that is as a significant as this to public safety and our ability to deliver services to the community,” he said.
As part of the project, 33 police vehicles will be outfitted with new computer equipment to allow officers to connect to the network and essentially be able to do all of their work from their cars.
The Port Angeles Fire Department will also have five of its vehicles equipped to use the network.
The Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, which will also receive a few wireless hot spots, will equip about eight of its police vehicles as well, said acting Police Chief Phil Charles.
But connecting the vehicles to the network comes at a cost — $70 per month for each vehicle.
For Port Angeles, that means an annual cost of $31,920.
Gallagher said he thinks the network is worth it.
The network will allow the department to eliminate use of Internet air cards, a cost of $47 per month for each vehicle.
Additionally, the city will receive a share of revenue from people accessing the network.
That could be as much as $72,000 a year at the start, but that depends on how many customers OlyPen receives.
Chuck Beaudettee, OlyPen operations manager, said the company will charge existing cable and DSL customers $4.95 per month for wireless access on mobile devices.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
