Provider proposes SmartTown Wi‑Fi at Morgan County athletic facilities; MOU to appear on next agenda

A vendor representative told the Morgan County Schools board the company plans to install SmartTown Wi‑Fi access points at outdoor school athletic facilities to provide the public, school employees and first responders internet access during events at no cost to the district.

Michael Cornelison, the presenter, said the system would be separate from the schools' internal networks and operate only during events or when the school requests it. "No cost to the schools. We would we would put this in," Cornelison said. He added that the system can provide separate access tiers for first responders, school employees and the general public and that the vendor is applying for grant funds through the Tennessee Valley Authority's community-care funds to help deploy units.

Cornelison described the installation as consisting of several access points per stadium to improve connectivity where crowds typically overload commercial cellular networks. The public system would include age-appropriate filtering and a restricted profile to prevent access to nonessential or inappropriate resources.

Board members were told staff submitted an overview agreement and that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be on the next board agenda for consideration. Cornelison said the vendor asked only to plug devices into existing power at sites to avoid additional trenching or power costs.

Ending

District staff said they will place the MOU on a future meeting agenda and that site selection and deployment timing will be decided if the board approves the agreement.