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Council authorizes SilverStar pilot to install Smart Town Wi‑Fi, SilverStar covers first‑year costs
Summary
After a presentation from Kirk Porter of Kallax/Calix and SilverStar representatives, the Afton council voted to support a Smart Town Wi‑Fi pilot; SilverStar will provide hardware and software for the first 12 months while the town helps with permits and property access arrangements.
Kirk Porter, who identified himself as representing Kallax, and SilverStar representatives outlined a Smart Town Wi‑Fi pilot the company proposes to deploy in downtown Afton.
Porter said the system can offer free visitor access via a splash page or a Passpoint certificate for seamless roaming, and can be extended to support first responders and education access. "It's really simple, actually, to use," Porter said during his presentation.
A SilverStar spokesperson said the company will purchase the pilot hardware and cover software and connectivity charges for the first 12 months under an early‑adopter program and will waive design and installation fees for the pilot. "SilverStar will purchase the hardware. SilverStar is gonna cover the cost and the software for the first 12 months," the representative said.
Council members pressed on technical and operational points, including guest‑network isolation and what happens when a visitor reaches a time limit. Councilor (speaker 3) asked whether the guest network can be isolated from town systems; SilverStar said the product supports guest isolation and that their team can handle security and setup.
Porter and SilverStar described a pilot rollout focused on Main Street and downtown parks with an initial design and event‑based soft launch. Estimated baseline costs discussed were roughly $500 per access point and a software fee of about $500 per month, though SilverStar committed to cover those early costs for Afton.
Councilor (speaker 9) moved that the town cooperate with SilverStar in its plans to establish a Smart Town pilot and to authorize the town administrator to grant necessary authorizations for equipment placement on town property; the motion passed by voice vote with multiple ayes and one abstention. The council directed staff to work with SilverStar on permissions, written agreements with businesses for mounting access points, and a timeline for a downtown pilot.
The pilot authorizes placement of access points on private buildings and town property subject to written permissions and standard permitting; SilverStar said it will seek written permission from each business host. Next steps are permit coordination, written host agreements, and a scheduled soft launch event.
