City to Consider Consultant for Caltrans Telecom Center

THOUSAND OAKS — This city may take another major step today in its long-delayed partnership with Caltrans to build a high-tech Telecommunity center at the Civic Arts Plaza: hiring a consultant to oversee the project.

City Council members are set to consider whether to award Ecotek Technology Solutions a contract for as much as $274,000 to manage the initial phase of the project--an experiment to make the city a “smart community.”

Through the center, residents would be able to access Navy information networks online for business purposes, city officials said.

A telecommunications link with Malaysia and other Pacific Rim nations would help Ventura County firms expand their reach just by a quick trip to City Hall.

And a “one-stop shopping” operation at the center for county, state and federal government services would save residents trips to Ventura and Los Angeles.

Details remain sketchy on the center, an assorted collection of technological ventures hoping to bring businesses, civic groups and government agencies closer together.

One of several such projects Caltrans has launched throughout the state, it was originally approved by the council in 1994, but city officials say it failed to get off the ground because of some bureaucratic confusion at Caltrans. An updated, slightly amended plan was approved last year.

Expected to cost more than $1.3 million, the facility would be paid for almost entirely with state and federal funds.

The contract for the Seal Beach-based consultant, which was chosen by a citizens committee that reviewed a series of proposals, would be paid for by Caltrans, said Shirley Cobb of Thousand Oaks’ media services office.

That bodes well for the future of the center, since Mayor Judy Lazar said she has some reservations about spending any more city money on the venture.

The Telecommunity center would be located on a 2,000-square-foot section of the Civic Arts Plaza’s second floor. Thousand Oaks spent $114,000 to prepare the site for the project, but it remains mostly vacant.

“Caltrans has been so slow in this whole process,” Lazar said. “We have this site all set aside for them, and so far, they have done nothing. I don’t want to waste any of our money on this.”

Councilman Mike Markey said that he will support the center as long as Caltrans continues to shoulder the financial load.

“Almost all the money is going to be paid by them,” Markey said, “so it sounds like a good project to me, as long as that doesn’t change.”

Under the contract, the consultant would staff the center, hold biweekly meetings with Thousand Oaks officials and provide monthly progress reports to the city and Caltrans.

Since Ecotek has never been involved in a project of such scope before, it plans to hire experts in telecommuting, distance learning, telecommunications law, networking among government and businesses, and some of the other issues involved, said the firm’s director of operations, John Reimers.

“We’re really excited about this opportunity,” Reimers said. “It’s very cutting-edge, and our preliminary research on Thousand Oaks shows that most homes already have computers and modems. The demographics convinced us that this is the way Thousand Oaks citizens are going to do business and interact in the future.”

The first phase of the two-part project will include:

* A review of similar undertakings currently in operation in Davis, Chula Vista and Blacksburg, Va., among other locations, to determine what could be done in Thousand Oaks.

* An assessment of the needs of Thousand Oaks residents and businesses that should be addressed in the cybercity.

* A feasibility study on using the center as a work location for government agencies and private businesses.

* Creation of a demonstration center to showcase some of the technology proposed for the center, such as telecommunications equipment allowing businesses to work together over long distances.

* Creation of an information network with other community and government organizations such as the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Conejo Unified School District, TOTV, Cal Lutheran University and local newspapers.

* An analysis of the different studies to develop recommendations for the second phase of the project and potential long-term funding.

Cobb, who has overseen the Telecommunity center project for Thousand Oaks since it was first proposed, said she is optimistic that it will finally happen in 1997.

“The project has been delayed so long,” Cobb said. “This time, everything is in line, and everybody seems to be on the same page. I don’t foresee any more delays.”