Town of Mountain Village, Colorado, Issues RFP; Responses Due August 18

Another small rural community in Colorado has recently taken an important step toward better connectivity for the community. The Town of Mountain Village issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) late in June to find a firm to conduct a Broadband Assessment and Feasibility Study. Responses are due August 10, 2018.

Read the RFP here.

Assess and Propose

The Town of Mountain Village (TMV) has an existing municipal cable network that offers Internet access, voice, and video. Community leaders want to engage a firm to assess the current infrastructure, consider improvements over the next few years, and make recommendations for improvements.

In addition to searching for ways to improve service and pinpoint any potential adoption and service gaps, the consultants will also be expected to devise a broadband strategy. TMV community leaders understand that the future will require better infrastructure than they now possess. The city wants to learn about the possible outlook for Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), potential partnerships, smart policies, and potential funding sources.

Town of Mountain Village

With only approximately 1,300 full-time residents and an additional non-resident property owner population, Mountain Village has similar qualities to some of the other rural communities we’ve covered. Penobscot, Maine, where seasonal visitors swell the population and the need for better connectivity, recently issued an RFI in their search for firms to help improve local Internet access. In addition to offering services to the general public, TMV's existing network connects municipal facilities, including water and wastewater, public transportation, public safety, parks and recreation, municipal offices, the housing authority properties.

As the name implies, TMV sits within the mountains. At the base of the Telluride Ski Resort in the southwest corner of the state, TMV adopted a free gondola and chondola (chair gondola) system as public transportation in 1996. Cars are still allowed in the town, but parking is limited to two garages and not permitted along streets or roads. The community prides itself on its efforts to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions through efforts such as the Mountain Village Gondola (or “G” as it’s known locally) and mandatory recycling, strong efforts at composting, and adoption of a Zero Waste Action Plan.

logo-mountain-village-co.jpg TMV covers approximately 3.3 square miles with a good part of that area dedicated to “plazas” where much of the commerce and community events occur. Hotels and businesses line the plazas and planned open and green space provides venues for concerts, free outdoor summer movies, and festivals.

Important dates:

July 11, 2018:  Pre-Proposal Conference/Site Meeting 

July 18, 2018: Pre-Proposal Questions Deadline 

July 20, 2018: Response to Questions Available 

Aug 10, 2018: Sealed Proposals Due/ Proposal Opening 

Read the RFP here.

Photo of the Town of Mountain Village courtesy of their Facebook page.