To: Board of Supervisors
From: Libraries
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
SUBJECT:
title
Agreement between Humboldt County Library and Imperial County Office of Education for the Provision, Installation and Maintenance of Advanced Network Services
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve, and authorize the Chair of the Board to execute, the attached agreement between the Humboldt County Library and the Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) (Attachment 1); and
2. Approve, and authorize the Purchasing Agent, or a designee thereof, to execute any and all subsequent amendments to the agreement with ICOE; and
3. Direct the Clerk of the Board to return two fully executed original copies of the attached agreement to the Library for further processing.
Body
STRATEGIC PLAN:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Plan.
Area of Focus: Safe & Healthy Communities
Strategic Plan Category: 2003 - Improved broadband and cellular connectivity
DISCUSSION:
The Library’s agreement with Imperial County Office of Education will add one or more data circuits to connect the Library to the Cooperation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) high-speed broadband fiber network, the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), and as specified in Appendix #1, attached, to connect Library to other library sites as identified in said appendix for the purpose of connecting to CalREN. The term of this agreement is July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030. This agreement is being presented to your Board after the start date due to delays in obtaining all required attachments and supporting documentation necessary to finalize the contract package.
CENIC is a nonprofit corporation formed in 1997 to provide high-performance, high-bandwidth networking services to California universities and research institutions. Through this corporation, representatives from all of California's K-20 public education combine their networking resources toward the operation, deployment, and maintenance of CalREN. Today, CalREN operates over 8,000 miles of fiber optic cable and serves more than 20 million users. CENIC negotiates with library vendors for discounted pricing and group pricing and provide procurement services so that libraries can buy multiple products from a single vendor.
On March 24, 2015, The Board approved agenda item D-8 which authorized Humboldt County Library’s proposal to sign an agreement between the Califa Group for provision, installation, and maintenance of circuits to connect the Library the CENIC high-speed broadband fiber network until 2020.
The implementation of this proposal renews the provision of D-8, providing ongoing high-speed broadband fiber connectivity to the Arcata, Blue Lake, Eureka, Fortuna, McKinleyville, Rio Dell, and Trinidad Libraries through June 2025.
In 2021, the Garberville Library joined the CENIC network. In 2022, through collaboration with multiple telecommunications providers, the Kim Yerton Memorial Library in Hoopa and the Willow Creek Library were added to CENIC. In August 2024, the Ferndale Library the Ferndale Library Broadband circuit was completed. Now all Humboldt County Public Library locations are on CENIC’s high-speed broadband network.
When libraries are connected to Broadband, the neighboring community benefits. Public libraries serve as critical gateways to information outside one’s own community, and in the Information Age this role has become even more important. Libraries give people without home computers free access to the Internet, helping America close the digital divide. As reliance upon public libraries to provide broadband telecommunications services for their community increases, it becomes essential to have universal high-speed connectivity in libraries across the country.
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Library Fund 1500-621
California TeleConnect Fund (CTF)
E-rate (Universal Service Fund)
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
|
Expenditures (1500,621) |
FY25-26 |
FY26-27 Projected* |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$134,235.08 |
$134,235.08 |
|
Total Expenditures |
$134,235.08 |
$134,235.08 |
*Projected amounts are estimates and are subject to change.
|
Funding Sources (1500,621) |
FY25-26 |
FY26-27 Projected* |
|
State/Federal Funds |
$116,877.65 |
$116,877.65 |
|
Fees/Other |
$17,357.43 |
$17,357.43 |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$134,235.08 |
$134,235.08 |
*Projected amounts are estimates and are subject to change.
Narrative Explanation of Financial Impact:
The term of this agreement is July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030. The annual cost of the agreement is $134,235.08. Of this amount, the Library will receive annual reimbursements totaling $116,877.65, comprised of $104,142.95 from the E-Rate Subsidy and $11,734.70 from the California Teleconnect Fund (CTF) Subsidy. The remaining $17,357.43 will be funded by the Library and included in the approved Library budget (1500621).
STAFFING IMPACT:
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impact:
N/A
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Information Technology
Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC)
Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE)
Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC)
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Your Board may opt to reject agreement. However, that is not recommended as it would defund the robust broadband service. Costs to sustain the program would increase. Thousands of Humboldt County residents who rely on this platform for internet connectivity would have fewer options to access the web.
ATTACHMENTS:
ATTACHMENT 1- HCL CENIC Standard Agreement Terms and Conditions between ICOE and HCL
And APPENDIX 1: Exhibit A (Scope of Work) & Exhibit B (Monthly Recurring Charges)
ATTACHMENT 2- Humboldt County Library E-rate Letter of Agency 2024
ATTACHMENT 3- ICOE Insurance Requirements
ATTACHMENT 4- ICOE Certificate of Insurance- General Liability and Auto
ATTACHMENT 5- ICOE Certificate of Insurance- Workers Compensation and Letter of Subrogation
ATTACHMENT 6- Executed Humboldt Califa Agreement Final 2020
ATTACHMENT 7- 2015 Agreement with Califa Group
ATTACHMENT 8- Humboldt County Library E-Rate Letter of Agency 2024
ATTACHMENT 9- Humboldt County Library E-Rate Letter of Agency 2020
ATTACHMENT 10- Humboldt County Library E-Rate Letter of Agency 2017
ATTACHMENT 11- CENIC Novation Agreement HCL Califa and CTC
PREVIOUS ACTIONS/REFERRALS:
Meeting of: July 28, 2020, March 24, 2015
File No.: 20-906, D-8