HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-174 - ADMIN Resolution - City Council - 2006/11/06RESOLUTION NO. 06-174
RESOLUTION DECLARING ARINC, INC. THE LOWEST RESPONSIBLE BIDDER,
AUTHORIZING STAFF TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH ARINC, INC.
FOR THE SUPPLY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A CITYWIDE WIRELESS
BROADBAND NETWORK AND WITH UNPLUGGED CITIES, LLC TO PROVIDE
MANAGEMENT PARTNER SERVICES FOR SAID NETWORK THROUGH A
PRIVATE — PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP
WHEREAS, the City Council directed study of wireless high-speed indoor / outdoor
Internet service beginning in November 2004, and
WHEREAS, the City Council has considered several questions around current Internet
service in St. Louis Park including availability, choice, cost, indoor / outdoor use, and mobility /
portability, and
WHEREAS, the City Council directed informal community interest surveys to help
inform the study of wireless high-speed indoor / outdoor Internet service, and
WHEREAS, the City Council directed the conduct of and participated in a due diligence
process including a formal study to determine technical, market, and financial feasibility of
wireless high-speed indoor / outdoor Internet service, including review of currently available
Internet services, and
WHEREAS, the City Council directed and staff engaged in many methods of public
process to gather input from all communities of interest on the need for, concerns about, support
for, and opposition to the concept of a City role in ensuring the availability of competitively
priced wireless high-speed indoor / outdoor Internet service, including a task force organized
through the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce that included several local telecommunications
providers, and
WHEREAS, the City Council directed as part of the due diligence process study of legal
powers of the City to play a role in ensuring the availability of competitively priced wireless
high-speed indoor / outdoor Internet service, and
WHEREAS, results of the technical, market, financial feasibility, and other studies and
processes mentioned above indicate the potential viability of wireless high-speed indoor /
outdoor Internet service through use of a private — public partnership model, and
WHEREAS, results of the technical, market, financial feasibility, and other studies and
processes mentioned above suggest use of a pnvate — public partnership model would maximize
the community benefit from wireless high-speed indoor / outdoor Internet service through each
partner exercising its own respective technical, marketing, operational, and branding strengths,
and
Resolution No. 06-174 -2-
WHEREAS, the City Council has given due consideration to results of the technical,
market, financial feasibility, and other studies and processes including those mentioned above,
and in addition considered public policy questions including the essentiality of available and
affordably priced high-speed indoor / outdoor Internet service to all members of the residential,
business, pnvate, institutional, and non-profit communities, and for the provision of effective and
efficient municipal and educational services, and
WHEREAS, the City Council directed implementation of a pilot wireless project on
November 21, 2005, and
WHEREAS, the City Council has reviewed technical, market, financial feasibility results
of the pilot wireless project launched in April 2006 and considered other factors germane to the
wireless industry, and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the City Charter through Section 1.02. Powers
of the City, provides the required authonty to make available the wireless and fiber optic
facilities required to make available low-cost, wireless, high-speed indoor / outdoor, ubiquitous
Internet connectivity services, and
WHEREAS, similar wireless and fiber optic facilities have previously been constructed
consistent with Minnesota statutes and City Charter provisions for the pilot wireless project and
inter -building fiber optic network, and
WHEREAS, services to users of the proposed wireless and fiber optic facilities required
to make available low-cost, wireless, high-speed indoor / outdoor, ubiquitous Internet
connectivity services, will be provided through the pnvate sector, and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds in the two years since said study began and in the six
months since said pilot wireless project began, no significant changes have occurred with respect
to current high-speed Internet service in St. Louis Park regarding availability, choice, cost,
indoor / outdoor use, and mobility / portability, and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the wireless and fiber optic facilities required to
make available low-cost, wireless, high-speed indoor / outdoor, ubiquitous Internet connectivity
services are not and will not be available through other providers or the private market in the
reasonably foreseeable future, and the proposed wireless, low-cost, high-speed indoor / outdoor,
ubiquitous Internet connectivity service is unique and does not directly compete with service
provided private entities, consistent with Minnesota Statute 429.021, Subd. 1, and
WHEREAS, the community of St. Louis Park competes with other cities throughout
Minnesota and the Untied States to attract and retain a wide vanety of participating residents,
businesses, families and students, and institutions and other forms of community and economic
development to support and enhance St. Louis Park's quality of life, and
WHEREAS, St. Louis Park stnves to be a community of choice for a lifetime and a
Children First community, and provide opportunities for all to thrive.
Resolution No. 06-174 -3-
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of St. Louis
Park that:
1. The City Council hereby finds ARINC, Inc. the lowest responsible bidder for the supply
and implementation of a citywide wireless broadband network.
2. The City Council hereby authonzes staff to enter into an agreement with ARINC, Inc. for
the supply and implementation of said citywide wireless broadband network
3. The City Council hereby authonzes staff to enter into an agreement with Unplugged
Cities, LLC to provide management partner services for said citywide wireless broadband
network.
4. The appropnate City officials are hereby directed to take steps necessary to make
available initial capital and operating funds for said citywide wireless broadband network
and services from the Development Fund.
ed for Administration.
City
Attest:
771 Ai --s :;?"51:7"
City Clerk
Adopted by the City Council November 6, 2006
May