Author Archives: Gary Munce

Request for Proposal Engineering

On December 14, 2017 Lyndon Township issued a RFP (Request for Proposal) for the Engineering, Design and Construction Management of the Fiber-to-the-Premise Network.  This RFP is specifically for engineering services to design a fiber network throughout the township and to then potentially manage the construction of the network. A summary of the engineering Services includes:

  • Assist in creating an RFP or bid document and selecting a qualified construction firm.
  • Design a fiber network to pass every home, business or government location within the Township.
  • Identify and make applications for all needed permits and rights-of-way.
  • Identify all locations for laying fiber make certain that the construction meets all design, regulatory, safety and operational specifications.

Responses to this RFP are due to be returned by 12:00pm Thursday, January 11, 2018.  The complete RFP is available for review under the Project Info section of the web site.

The township has also issued a FTTP Network Provider RFP as required by the Michigan Telecommunications Act.

Project Consultant Selected

On October 26, 2017 Lyndon Township board approved the selection of CCG Consulting as the project consultant for the Lyndon Broadband Project.  CCG Consulting has  served as the consultant for over 800 broadband providers.  Included in this number, are  numerous communities with projects of similar size and scope as ours.

Some of the major areas responsibilities which CCG will assist manage include:

  • Establishing detailed budget and project schedule
  • Compliance with Michigan Telecommunications Act requirements
  • Selection of engineering and construction firms
  • Selection of an Internet Service Provider (ISP)

 

You can read more about CCG Consulting at:

Request for Proposal (RFP) Project Consultant

On October 6, 2017 Lyndon Township issued a RFP (request for proposal)  for the selection of a management consultant for the Lyndon broadband project.  This consultant will be an experienced firm or individual who will guide the township through the process and protect our interests.  This firm or individual will manage the bidding process and execution of  the engineering and construction phases of the project as well as the choice of the internet service provider (ISP). This selection process will conclude with a consultant being hired by 10/27.

  • October 20: Deadline to Receive proposal submissions
  • October 20 through October 23:  Implementation Committee members to review proposals
  • October 23 at 6:00 pm: Implementation Committee meeting to discuss  proposals and provide information to Lyndon Township Board
  • October 26: Lyndon Township Board to make final consultant recommendation

Implementation Committee and Subcommittees

On August 28, 2017 Lyndon township publised a call for volunteers to be part of a committee to oversee the construction and implementation of the fiber to the home broadband project approved by township residents.  This resulted in 15 township residents submitting applications.  The township was very impressed by the number of applicants and the high level of knowledge in the Information Technology and related fields that woud be valuable for the success of the project.   As a result, the township selected an Implementation Committee of 6 members and six sub committees were formed to capture the expetise of all  interested residents.  The members of the implemetation Commitee and Subcommitees are available here.

Lyndon Township Ballot Proposal

On August 8, Lyndon Township residents approved a bond proposal to fund construction of a community owned fiber optic broadband network serving every home and business in Lyndon Township.

The vote passed with 622 (66%) voting yes, and 321 (34%) voting no, and at a record high non-general election voter turnout of over 43%.

This initiative will bring 21st century internet access to all Lyndon Township residents.

With the approval of the proposal, Lyndon Township will proceed with activities to execute the public bids, contracts, and decisions that will go into the design, construction, and operation of the fiber optic network. Once completed, the township will then partner with one or more  service providers to deliver internet access to residents. The $7 million project will be funded by a bond backed by a 20-year millage, with an average annual millage rate to retire the bonds estimated at 2.91 mills ($2.91 per thousand of taxable value). Based on currently available taxable valuation data for Lyndon Township, the average cost per property owner for this construction will be about $21.92 per month. Estimated costs for basic internet access will be between $35-45 per month. This internet service will provide a basic speed of 100Mb, with no caps on data usage, with 1Gb (gigabit) speeds available for about $60-70 per month.

The average combined cost of the millage for infrastructure and monthly fee for basic service will be between $57-67 per month.