2012 2:00:00 PM

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 2:00 PM
Sparks City Council Chambers, 745 4th Street, Sparks, NV

Consent Items: 5.2

Title: Consideration and possible approval of upgrading sixty-nine (69) existing school zone flasher units with the RTC Manufacturing Inc. wireless system in the amount of $59,577.

Petitioner/Presenter: John A. Martini, P.E., Assistant Community Services Director/Jon R. Ericson, P.E., PTOE, Transportation Manager

Recommendation: Staff recommends City Council approve the contract.

Financial Impact: This project was not contained in the 2011/2012 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Appropriations have been moved from CIP 120542, Traffic Signal Improvements, Traffic Signals System Upgrades Project, in Fund 1401, Transportation Systems. Expenses for the School Flasher Upgrades Project will post to Account 604070, Capital Equipment & Furnishings, using Project 12-0542A-100.

Total Costs: $59,577.00

Fund: Road Fund Account: 604070
Program: Traffic Safety Management-Traffic Enhancements Program- School Flasher Upgrades Project (12-0542A)
Amount: $59,577.00 Budget Status: Budget Exists

Business Impact (Per NRS 237):
A Business Impact Statement is not required because this is not a rule.

Agenda Item Brief: The City of Sparks Wireless Upgrade Project will consist of upgrading the existing school zone flasher time switch controllers and establish a wireless communication system to provide remote command and control to each School Zone Flasher. The new infrastructure will give sole control of the school zone system to the City of Sparks and eliminate any third party carriers. Staff recommends approval.

Background: School Zone Flashers are installed throughout the City of Sparks to augment cautionary signage and to alert motor vehicle operators of the presence of pedestrian students traveling to and from school. School Zone Flashers also change the normal flow of traffic within the corridor to a reduced safe speed. The Sparks Police Department monitors these corridors and issues citations to motor vehicle operators for non-compliance in the safe speed zone. The accuracy and reliability of the time switch are keys to the successful operation of the system. Currently The City of Sparks has 69 school zone flashers that use RTC Manufacturing Inc. CPR2102 Time Clocks equipped with analog pager receivers to control the on and off times of the flashing beacons. The pager system is owned and operated by Washoe County. The use of analog pagers has dwindled from millions to hundreds. The pager carriers are struggling to maintain an infrastructure that is primarily used by emergency service personnel, on-call health workers, and first responders in emergency and maintenance roles. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has started to notify pager carries that they will be “Narrow Banded” in order to free up channels and bandwidth for emergency use in case of a major disaster. Washoe County has been notified of eminent changes to the service that could affect their system and disconnect communication to our existing time switches. There is an option to reprogram the existing time switches and remain on the antiquated paging system. It is important to note that the FCC will allow or disallow channels on both public and privately owned pager systems which compromises the operation and reliability of the system and raises the need to reprogram each of the field units whenever any changes are made. It is in the best interest of the City to install a communications system that will give sole control of the school zone system to the City and eliminate any third party carriers.

Analysis: The existing RTC Manufacturing Inc. CPR2102 time switches will be upgraded to the CP22 chip and warranty program. The manufacturer will issue the City of Sparks a three (3) year non-prorated warranty. The annual schedule available on the CP22 processor will give the City autonomy from the dependence on the pager network to deliver the weekly flasher schedule, and insure that when the pager system stops working the school zone flashers will continue to work. Central system software will be installed on a workstation at City Hall. The software will communicate through the existing city owned Ethernet network to 900MHz master radios located on the roof of the Nugget and at the signalized intersection of Vista Blvd at Wingfield Pkwy. The field radios will be linked to the workstation at City Hall by way of the master radios and the existing Ethernet network.

Alternatives: 1. Approve the contract as presented in this staff report 2. Provide the City Manager with further action

Recommended Motion: I move to approve the upgrading of sixty-nine (69) existing school zone flasher units with the RTC Manufacturing Inc. wireless system in the amount of $59,577.

Attached Files:

0412-014 NV radio and antennas Sparks r1.pdf

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