That information was part of an update from City Operations Director Kyle Box on the city effort to construct a $24.5 million open-access, high-speed fiber network throughout the city of Willmar.
The marketplace website, which can be reached from the city website at willmarmn.gov, allows residents to sign up for services and for project updates, while allowing the city to gauge residents' and businesses' interest.
The interest shown by the city's residents and businesses will help assure the council and the city that the network will pay for itself as designed.
"I think it will be important for us to have an opportunity to keep this marketplace open for an extended period of time — three, four weeks, maybe — to really make sure that we're getting our message out there ... just to have people look at and sign up for service," Box said.
Residents and businesses should understand that they are not committing to receiving the service if they sign up, and that they have the ability to change their chosen plan at any time, according to Box.
Councilor Stephen Gardner pointed out that there is not yet an option on the marketplace for low-income residents, noting that having a lower-cost option is something that has been important throughout the planning process.
Box explained that the city is committed to providing low-cost options and they will be available, but none of the internet service providers currently on the marketplace have provided one as of yet. The city has the option of including that as a requirement in the contracts that it signs with the ISPs that operate on its network.
Although there is not currently a low-cost option available for low-income residents, they are still encouraged to sign up.
Hometown Fiber will manage the system, and the city plans to take out bonds to pay for its construction. Lease fees from the multiple ISPs that will operate on the system will be used to pay the debt service on the bonds.
The city has partnered with Silverlight Fiber Network to manage the online marketplace, according to Box. Silverlight also acts as an aggregate internet service provider and has contracts with three of the four ISPs currently on the marketplace, according to Box.
"There are four active ISPs operating on (the marketplace)," Box said, noting that the fourth ISP is Broadband MN, which operates locally out of Hutchinson. "We feel that's a comfortable number. It's a larger number than we initially had anticipated — we were going to be extremely happy with one, and ecstatic with two, especially when they're trying to propose an open-access, fiber network."
The city plans to build the network in three phases, but those plans may change depending on the locations of those who sign up, showing interest in receiving the service, according to Box.
Phase one, which is expected to begin construction sometime this year, includes the and all businesses and residences to First Street South between 19th Avenue Southwest and the BNSF Railway.
Phases two and three, which would be southeast and northeast Willmar, respectively, would be constructed in the following years.
However, if there are pockets of Willmar outside of phase one that have signed up to receive services, the city may expand phase one to those areas, according to Box.
Phases two and three may be constructed at the same time if enough people in those areas show interest via sign-ups.
At this time, the city and its contracted engineering firm, Bolton & Menk, are finalizing the project plans for phase one to make sure it is ready to go when the council is asked to consider letting the project out for bids, according to Box.
Box expects bringing an action item to the council to authorize the project go out for bids by the first meeting in June, though it may happen as early as the May 19 meeting.
The bids would be out for a little more than 30 days and the City Council is expected to consider approving the bids at its first meeting in July, according to Box.
"That's the timeline that we're anticipating at this point," he said. "Obviously, it's still subject to change, but that's the goal that we are aiming for, for an authorization for the project."
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