Subject:
Title
Authorization, Re: Advertise Invitations to Bid for the replacement of a SCADA tower on County-owned property located at 10001 North Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL 32940, replacing the current tower, owned by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), which serves as a control point of the Brevard County SCADA system in the central area.
End
Fiscal Impact:
The cost of the tower is estimated to cost $350,000, funded by Utility Services funds. If the construction of the tower is awarded to a wireless carrier, there will be no impact on the Utility Fund. By exercising this option, after the abatement period, it will provide, through a collocation agreement, a revenue source for the Utility Services Department.
Dept/Office:
Utility Services
Requested Action:
Recommendation
Requesting Board authorization to:
1. Advertise via Invitations to bid (ITB) for the replacement of the SCADA tower on County-owned property located at 10001 North Wickham Rd., Melbourne, FL 32940.
2. Include in the ITB an option for a wireless carrier to construct the tower for the County at their expense. This option should include a twenty-year colocation agreement with a rental abatement period to cover the cost of the tower, including a base fee and annual fee increase. And authorize the revenue of that agreement, after the abatement period, to be redirected to the Utility Services Department to continue supporting the SCADA network and the maintenance of the tower.
3. Authorize the County Manager or designee to execute the contract with the awarded vendor, its renewals, documents, administrative or budget actions, subject to approval by the County Attorney’s Office, Risk Management, and Purchasing.
End
Summary Explanation and Background:
On September 7, 2010, the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners executed a Lease Agreement with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for a tower site at the South-Central Regional Wastewater Plant property located at 10001 North. The original FAA tower is a 390-foot lattice structure that houses several antennas for the Brevard County SCADA system. This tower requires upgrades to meet current building codes. Although the FAA acknowledged the necessity of replacing the existing structure due to its failure to comply with current FCC regulations and building codes, they opted to deconstruct it and relocate their operations to a different federal property. This decision by the FAA left the County needing to build a new, shorter structure to ensure that the SCADA system can continue to operate effectively in the central area of Brevard.
Over the past several years, the expansion of the residential area in Viera West has increased the demand for improved wireless services to accommodate the growing population. Several wireless carriers have approached the County regarding a collocation agreement for the existing tower. This has prompted us to consider proposing the construction of a new tower funded by private enterprise. This option would provide the County with an additional revenue source, after the abatement period, to help support the SCADA system and the Utility Services Department.
The recommendation to the Board is to include a 20-year agreement, with a baseline annual fee at no less than $27,000, and a minimum annual increase of 3% or the CPI-Urban increase, whichever is greater. The awarded vendor shall comply with all applicable local, state, and federal licensing requirements.
The Communications Act prohibits local and state governments from regulating the placement, construction, and modification of personal wireless service facilities based on the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions to the extent that such facilities comply with the regulations concerning such emissions and those facilities comply with local zoning authorities.
A FAQ on radio frequency exposure and wireless facilities is part of the agenda packet for additional information.
Clerk to the Board Instructions:
E-mail the Clerk memo to karina.perez@brevardfl.gov and mail the original to the Utility Services Department.