High-speed fiber, armored vehicle get nods

Tuesday evening the Wake Forest Town Board heard a consultant, Thomas Asp with CTC Technology & Energy, describe how the town could, for about $5 million, build a high-speed fiber optic network to serve its 14 facilities, 15 business parks and stand-alone businesses, and expand that footprint into residential neighborhoods.

The mayor and commissioners asked few questions but will be studying the 57 dense pages of CTC’s report that includes different ways to attract and partner with network businesses such as CenturyLink and Ting, which is serving Holly Springs.

They also gave nods, applause and thumbs-up to Wake Forest Police Department Lieutenant Mike Maron for his salesmanship – convincing them of the need to replace the department’s current light-weight armored vehicle with an armored rescue vehicle (ARV) with a price tag of $330,000 in the current capital improvement plan.

Then he explained that transferring a surplus ARV through the state’s Law Enforcement Support Services would cost the town only $15,200 which would include its shipping, necessary window replacements and a covered shelter for its home. When Mayor Vivian Jones asked if they needed to approve a resolution or take another official act, Town Manager Kip Padgett smiled and said they only needed to nod yes. Well, that was easy. And the $15,200 is eligible to be funded by asset forfeiture money.

An ARV, Maron said, is needed, even essential, to rescue people in high risk interventions. The town’s current vehicle, basically a 26-year-old pickup truck with added armor, is light-weight, unreliable, and has limited space. It broke down during the rescue of a person being held against her will and had to be dragged out of the yard.

And Maron said, parts are no longer available so the department has been fabricating them when something breaks.

The new ARV will be used but newer and in good condition with a reliable truck diesel engine, already thoroughly armored to resist small-arms fire, and has a four-wheel platform with plenty of space. There is service available in Fayetteville and, because it is truck-based, local mechanics can also work on it. The department is also training personnel on ARV use, one of the requirements, and will paint it.

Turning to the fiber optic network report, for those who wonder if the 3.7 miles of fiber installed by RST Fiber in 2014, the CTC report says it was 96-strand fiber while CTC recommends 288-strand fiber.

CTC has been talking with two private-sector internet service providers, Ting and Axia FibreNet and has prepared a draft request for information that could be used to solicit interest from the private sector.

When the town surveyed residents about their internet service in 2014, the results showed that most were not satisfied with their current provider, about 75 percent were not satisfied with the speed of service, and about 80 percent were interested in 1 GBPS service if it was priced competitively.

The report by CTC says building a fiber network may have long-term benefits for economic development and recommends it be designed to make fiber leasing easy for future businesses and residents. “Over time, the fiber network may serve as the basis for private investment in world-class broadband to all businesses and residences.”

There are three partnership models, Asp said, with differing amounts of public and private investment. Discussions with the town staff and community members show, the report says, that the preferred model is for private investment with public facilitation through a number of actions the town already was ready to make for RST Fiber.