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Council hears bid‑waiver proposal to lease dark fiber from GoNetSpeed for town backbone
Summary
Town staff asked the council for a bid waiver to enter a 10‑year lease with GoNetSpeed for dark fiber to link core municipal sites and parks; staff said the arrangement would create a resilient fiber ring, enable future public Wi‑Fi at parks, and expand service to under‑served corridors without new appropriations.
Town technology and public works staff presented a proposal to the council to approve a bid waiver that would allow the town to enter a 10‑year lease with GoNetSpeed for dark fiber to connect town facilities and parks.
Scott Harlo introduced the proposal, saying, "essentially what we're asking for is a bid waiver to allow us to enter an agreement for a 10‑year lease with GoNetSpeed." Staff described two pricing options: a state contract option that was considerably more expensive and a GoNetSpeed lease for dark fiber that staff said met local needs at a lower cost. The recommended design would create a resilient ring among nine core sites (town hall, police department, parks and grounds, highway department, five firehouses and the new EOC) and point-to-point links to about 15 park sites.
Officials said benefits include (1) a dedicated fiber resource the town would light with its own equipment, (2) ring topology to avoid single-point failures, (3) the ability to expand broadband along underserved corridors such as the Berlin Turnpike, and (4) potential future public Wi‑Fi if a pending state grant is awarded. Staff said the project would replace some existing services and that roughly half the annual cost would be offset by eliminating current connections; no additional appropriation was requested because the funds are already budgeted.
Councilors asked about procurement rules, vendor stability, and risk if a provider is bought or fails. Harlo said the state contract (e.g., an IRU offered by Crown Castle) can be more expensive and may require upfront payment; the GoNetSpeed lease is month‑to‑month within a 10‑year contract structure and staff judged the vendor to be viable. He noted that because the town would own and operate the electronics at each endpoint, the physical fiber remaining on poles would still be in place if a vendor changed hands.
No final contract vote was recorded at the meeting; councilors expressed support and asked staff to proceed with procurement steps (bid waiver or related contract negotiations) consistent with local purchasing rules.
Next steps: staff requested the council grant a bid waiver or otherwise authorize negotiation; if approved, staff will finalize contract terms and integrate the backbone with planned Wi‑Fi and park connectivity projects contingent on grant funding.
