The Town of Wake Forest has employed Utility Service Contractors to begin installing a high-speed fiber network to support the town’s public safety efforts and critical administrative activities.
CTC Technology & Energy is managing the $2.5-million installation which will initially interconnect 14 town facilities before expanding to serve businesses and residential neighborhoods.
The first two sections are along Elm Avenue-North Franklin and from Wake Union Church Road south along Hampton Way Drive and Retail Drive to just south of Target. You can keep track of the installation by going to www.wakeforestnc.gov/projects-initiatives/information-technology and then looking at the dashboard which will show the progress and will be updated weekly. The yellow lines are for construction underway; the red lines are for the planned construction. The town facilities are shown in blue. Click on each for its name. This initial installation will extend over 25.21 miles, and the first two sections together are 1.62 miles.
Adam Oates, chief information officer in the town’s management information systems, said Fire Station #1 on Elm Avenue has already been connected to the town’s network. It houses the administrative offices for the Wake Forest Fire Department, which will become a town department on July 1 of this year. “The [other] fire stations are not a part of this project, but we have plans to add them in the next phase.” Those are Station #2 on Ligon Mill Road, Station #3 on Forestville Road, Station #4 on Jenkins Road and Station #5 on Holmes Hollow Road, the former Falls Fire Department.
The town will borrow up to $2.5 million using an installment purchase agreement to pay for the fiber network. Tuesday night the town board authorized Chief Finance Officer Aileen Staples to proceed with a formal application to the Local Government Commission for that financing.
In 2016 Wake Forest selected CTC to develop a broadband feasibility study to include high-level design and cost estimates to connect Town facilities and other points of interest. As part of the study, CTC conducted a comprehensive needs assessment, examined the town’s broadband market and services, and evaluated the potential role of existing town assets in enabling broadband before delivering its findings in early 2017.
Extending from town hall, the current fiber network installation is the next step in implementing the CTC report.
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