ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — If Federal money comes through, Robertsdale will be employing a wireless internet system to connect police, fire and all other city departments. The city may offer its citizens low-cost wireless access as well.

The city council approved Honeywell as the provider for the “Wi-Fi” broadband communications and Internet system at Monday’s council meeting. Paul Hollingsworth was absent. The city had gone to bid, and Honeywell was the only bidder.

Honeywell has installed more than 750 Wi-Fi systems in this country with their partner, TROPOS Networks. The city will be seeking a $3 million grant for the work. According to Mayor Charles Murphy and Honeywell representative Brian Wozniak, the Federal government has $7.2 billion dollars in “Stimulus Money” (American Recovery and

Reinvestment Act of 2009) to use on programs like this nationwide. The idea is to provide high speed wireless access in areas that are considered rural or “under served.”

There is one catch — if the city does not receive the grants, it still has to pay Honeywell one-half of one percent of the contract, some $15,000. The deadline for applying for the grant is Aug. 14.

According to Wozniak, Honeywell and TROPOS will be installing a “communications umbrella,” a set of small, “shoe box-sized” wireless communication devices that can be placed on existing light stands and electrical poles. The system is “self healing” according to Wozniak, so the work of one or several devices can be taken up by other “nodes” until repairs can be made.

The nodes, Wozniak says, are “robust.” He cited examples in New Orleans where similar systems survived Hurricane Katrina and an ice storm in Oklahoma.

“We had rural electrification, the Interstate and next will be the economic development of wireless broadband,” said Wozniak.

The new system will allow police and fire department personnel to “carry their office to the field,” said Wozniak. The new system will allow safety officials to carry “man down” devices, which will help speed aid to a wounded officer or fireman. The system, with military grade security is said to be resistant to hacking. The system will provide a “data network” for the city, allowing all departments to share information quickly.

Another component of the system is “automatic meter reading,” something that is expected to save the city’s utility system money. The system should help pinpoint where savings can be made, said Scott Gilbert, the city’s director of Public Works.

Another aspect of the system is that it will allow police and businesses to set up small, camouflaged surveillance cameras at trouble spots or places that need monitoring In Baton Rouge, the police installed a “Shotspotter” system that allows cameras and other surveillance devices to identify the type of gun, how high off the ground the shot was, and the direction of the shot. The information, Wozniak says, is often admissible in court.

There will be enough capacity on the system to allow home and business users on the system, something that should pay for the system’s upgrades and maintence. Wozniak cited several examples, including St. Cloud, Fla., where having a low-cost high speed wireless connection spurred the development of local businesses.

Chief Financial Officer Ann Simpson and Greg Smith, City Engineer presented the work of a student employed by the state-paid Summer Youth Employment Program. The student, the pair said, has been scanning documents into the city’s computer system, using character recognition software. This will allow city officials to retrive and review documents quickly. Unfortunately, the city did not typewrite documents until late 1927, and the software can’t search handwritten paperwork. Until some tweaks are made to the city’s computer system, the documents will be available to city officials and employees only, says Smith.

Simpson mentioned that City Clerk Shannon Ellison had to spend four weeks looking through city records for a piece of information.

Simpson praised the student and the program, saying, :”We would not have time to do this.”

In other council action, the city council :

— Rescheduled the Sept. 7 meeting to Sept. 8. Sept. 7 is Labor Day, a holiday.

— Voted to pay $816,980.17 in city bills.

— Voted to pay $150 to the Robertsdale Golden Bears Volleyball team to renew a sign.

— Voted to pay Stuart Contracting Company $66,400.20 for a portion of the work on the city’s new clarifiers.

— Received thanks from Tiffaney Plato and the Central Baldwin Middle School TSA club for the city’s help in getting the group to the national program in Denver, Colorado.

— Voted to annex property on the Childress Farm where the new water tank is located.

— Voted to pay travel expenses for Ellison and Magistrate Teresa Shearer to training classes.