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The city of Ely will invest up to $20,000 to ensure that vendors in Whiteside Park have access to wireless internet.
The expenditure, which was recommended by the city’s telecommunications advisory board, was approved unanimously Tuesday during a brief city council session at City Hall.
Consolidated Telecommunications Company of Brainerd, which partnered with the city on the installation of a high-speed broadband network downtown will provide the equipment and install the fiber needed to make sure that vendors at the Blueberry/Art and Harvest Moon festivals, as well as the Farmer’s Market, have wireless internet needed to conduct electronic sales.
“In years past, Whiteside Park, Midcontinent Communications provided a trailer and through that we provided access to vendors to utilize wifi, whether they were utilizing it for point of sale systems or whatever,” said Harold Langowski, the city’s clerk-treasurer and operations director.
That arrangement will change this year, with Midcontinent installing its own fiber system.
“The only way to provide that service in the park is they have to install fiber,” said Langowski.
The city will instead work with CTC on a plan that not only would provide wifi for vendor in the park, but internet cameras as well.
“We had been looking at options to provide a connection for cameras in the park and at the same time with this other issue to provide wifi for vendors during events,” said Langowski.
City officials have spoken with representatives of both the Farmers Market and the Ely Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors both the Blueberry/Art and Harvest Moon festivals.
“What we have proposed is for large events like Blueberry and Harvest Moon, the Chamber would include as part of the booth fee (a charge for wifi) and provide the password to utilize the network,” said Langowski. “It would be a secure network and it would protect credit cards and those type of things for transactions.”
The city is absorbing the expense for the equipment and installation and plans to recover its investment via fees.
“It will probably take four years to pay back that investment,” said Langowski.
The wifi system is for business vendors only and not for the general public.
In other business Tuesday, the council:
• Scheduled a special council meeting for June 13 at the Ely Senior Center, so that all council members may attend the 4 p.m. presentation related to a recent ambulance study commissioned by Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital (see related story).
• Accepted the resignations of Victoria Scarbrough from the library board, and Aspen (A.Z.) Eck from the tree board and parks and recreation commission.
• Rezoned the old “Depot” property, which last operated as Wilderness Outfitters from Industrial to Commercial.
• Approved a variance for the Frisky Otter, allowing the restaurant to have an additional freestanding sign.
• Approved a setback variance for Daniel Krings at a Lakeview Avenue residence for a proposed home remodel.
• Authorized the employee relations committee to interview three internal candidates for the position of public works foreman.
• Approved the job description for building engineer and authorized the job to be posted internally.
