China select board hears proposal for street radio installations

by Mary Grow

China select board members’ main topic at their Dec. 2 meeting was a proposal by Tom Kroh, Regional Director, Site Acquisition and Deployment, for Ubicquia, Inc., based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His company would like to contract with the town to attach street radios to town streetlights, to improve residents’ telephone and internet service.

Attaching the Ericsson street radios, Kroh explained in an on-line presentation, would provide residents with better cellular service; would bring the town a small amount of income; and would have no negative effects.

The street radios are small devices, 16 inches by nine inches by three inches high, that sit on top of streetlights, almost invisible from the ground. Ubicquia would be entirely responsible for installing them and signing up communications companies; the companies, not the town, would handle any maintenance issues. Ubicquia currently deals with AT&T, T-Mobile and U. S. Cellular, Kroh said, but not with Verizon.

Ubicquia would reimburse Central Maine Power Co. for electricity used. It would pay China $30 a month for each streetlight with a radio on top. The town’s contract would allow Ubicquia access to all streetlights, but, Kroh said, select board members could approve or disapprove use of specific ones.

Contracts are normally for five years, renewable, but Kroh said a three-year contract would be possible.

Holiday hours

The December holiday schedule for China town departments is as follows, according to Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood:

— Tuesday, Dec. 24, all town departments close at noon.
— Wednesday, Dec. 25, and Thursday, Dec. 26, all town departments closed.
— Friday, Dec. 27, and Saturday, Dec. 28, all town departments open as usual.
— Tuesday, Dec. 31, all town departments close at 2 p.m.
— Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, all town departments closed.

Kroh summarized: China would be making money off its existing streetlights and improving telephone and internet connectivity for residents, at no cost to the town.

What, board member Edwin Bailey asked, does Ubicquia get out of it? Kroh replied that Ubicquia sells use of the street radios to the carriers.

He listed other Maine towns in which his company has installed street radios or is negotiating installations. In Rumford, he said, there are reports of better coverage, fewer dropped calls and faster download and upload times.

Kroh will send a draft contract to Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood. Select board members intend to do more research, review the contract and have the town attorney review it before they make a decision.

Once a contract is signed, Kroh said, pre-installation procedures normally take from four to six months, installation another two or three weeks.

In other business Dec. 2, board member Blane Casey reported requests for bids had gone out for different pieces of the work of building the new records storage vault. He and Hapgood said some bids have already been received. Bid deadlines are staggered, up to Dec. 10.

Board members continued the review of town policies they began in November. Hapgood presented seven more policies, six with no or minor changes and a new one recommended by the Maine Municipal Association. Board members approved all seven unanimously.

Hapgood shared reports from other town departments, including:

— A reminder that dogs need to be licensed before the end of the year;
— A reminder that 2025 transfer station stickers are now available at the town office and at the transfer station;
— A report that the skating rink has been relocated from the school grounds to the lot south of the town office, north of the intersection of Alder Park Road with Lakeview Drive; and
— A report that the new building at the transfer station to house the sandpile for China residents needing winter sand is finished.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16.