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Select Board asks staff to seek market options for Soofa‑style digital kiosks after privacy and revenue questions
Summary
Town communications staff briefed the board on Soofa kiosk data collection (Wi‑Fi probe counts only), a seven‑year revenue share of about $17,812, a detection radius of roughly 30–100 feet, and an expiring contract; the board voted to instruct the town administrator to begin an RFP to evaluate alternatives.
The Select Board on Dec. 16 instructed the town administrator to begin a procurement process to solicit market options for Soofa‑style digital kiosks after a staff presentation about privacy, data, and revenue.
Communications officer Christina Metcalfe summarized answers provided by Soofa: the kiosks capture anonymous Wi‑Fi probe‑request counts (no device IDs or Bluetooth), advertisers receive ad‑performance reports but not raw sensor data, and the town retains a dashboard of traffic counts. “It’s just the aggregate counts per minute,” Metcalfe said when describing the dataset. She said Soofa reports an operable detection radius of about 30 to 100 feet depending on conditions.
Metcalfe also presented a revenue figure from the current agreement: “the total revenue share is about $17,812 over a 7 year period,” she said, noting 2025 fourth‑quarter figures were not yet reported and 2019 installations affect the baseline numbers. Board members pressed staff on how much town staff time the contract consumes and whether an RFP would yield better revenue or different design standards. Several members said the installation gives away sidewalk space to a vendor and questioned whether other uses (bike racks, benches) would provide greater community value.
Staff said the existing short extension runs through Feb. 2026; if the board approves an RFP staff will include a select‑board representative and other relevant departments and aim to return recommended options by mid‑February to meet contract‑notice deadlines. The board voted, with one abstention, to direct the town administrator to pursue the RFP and to collect comparative engagement data from other municipalities.
