CITY COUNCIL: Report & Direction on the Placement of a Webcam at the Beach

Meeting Date: May l, 2012
Prepared by: Heidi Burch Assistant City Administrator

City Council

Agenda Item Summary

Name: Receive report and provide direction on the placement of a webcam at the beach.

Description: At this time, staff is requesting City Council review the overall concept of placing a webcam near Santa Lucia and Scenic. If Council approves the idea in principle, the Planning Commission and Forest and Beach Commission would review the proposal and make recommendations. In addition, staff from several City departments will provide logistical advice about issues concerning the installation and maintenance of the equipment.

Should this project go forward, it will require noticing of the neighbors within a 300-foot radius and a permit from the California Coastal Commission.

Overall Cost: The cost of the webcam, including installation is estimated to be $10,000. As the webcam project has been part of the City's "wish list" program, the City has received $4,285 in donations to offset this cost. In addition, monthly Internet access from AT&T DSL or Comcast Cable is estimated at approximately $75. Ongoing maintenance costs are estimated to be nominal.

Staff Recommendation: Receive the report and provide direction on the beach webcam concept.

Important Considerations: None.

Decision Record: None.

Reviewed by:

Jason Stilwell, City Administrator Date

CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
STAFF REPORT
TO: MAYOR BURNETT & MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: HEIDI BURCH, ASST. CITY ADMINISTRATOR
THROUGH: JASON STILWELL, CITY ADMINISTRATOR
DATE: MAY 1, 2012
SUBJECT: REPORT ON BEACH WEBCAM

BACKGROUND
Resident Jerry Gleason approached the City with a proposal to place a webcam at the beach to allow visitors to the City travel website the ability to view Carmel Beach. He met with members of the Economic Advisory Team who reviewed the proposal and recommended the concept be taken to Council to proceed with the project.

At this time, City Council is only requested to review and approve the overall concept of placing a webcam at a site near the restroom area at Santa Lucia and Scenic. If Council approves the idea in principle, the Planning Commission and Forest and Beach Commission would review the proposal and make recommendations. In addition, staff from several City departments will provide logistical advice about issues concerning the installation and maintenance of the equipment.

Should this project go forward, it will require noticing of the neighbors within a 300-foot radius and a permit from the California Coastal Commission.

PROPOSAL
The proposed beach Webcam would face north along Carmel Beach near the restroom area and would allow a Website viewer to see real-time beach and surf conditions and the weather along Carmel Beach. It is expected that the beach-cam also would serve as a boost to tourism as it would offer potential visitors the feature of seeing the beautiful white sand beach and scenic vistas.

The Webcam itself would be a fixed, high-quality camera, mounted in a marine-grade, stainless steel enclosure to minimize the effect of the salt air environment. It would be mounted on a pole. The camera would be connected to the Web through a secure Internet connection with interconnection provided by AT&T DSL or a Comcast cable connection, and power supplied from an existing source near the restroom site.

The Police and Fire services would also have priority access to the beach-cam for public safety and emergency needs along the beach.

FISCAL IMPACT
The total estimated cost to install and service a “turnkey” beach Webcam is $10,000. In addition, the Internet access from AT&T DSL or Comcast Cable is estimated at approximately $75 per month, plus nominal maintenance costs.

RECOMMENDATION
Provide direction to staff as needed.

Report on Proposed

Beach-Cam for Carmel Beach

Jerry Gleason, May 1, 2012

Revision 1

Outline

• Introduction

• Project Objectives

• Proposed Beach-cam location

• Simulated Beach-cam images

• Recommended cameras & cost estimate

• Implementation Plan

• Summary

• Appendix

Introduction

This report describes the value, benefits and

recommendations for installing a beach-cam

located at or near the proposed new restroom

facility at the south end of Carmel Beach near the

intersection of Scenic and Santa Lucia.

Project Objectives

• Install a reliable, high quality zoom lens camera either fixed position or with

Pan and Tilt control at or near the proposed new restroom facility at the

south end of Carmel Beach near the intersection of Scenic and Santa Lucia.

• Police and Fire Services will have priority control and viewing access if

some beach emergency situation arises.

• Second priority access will be to the City and Chamber of Commerce

websites for visitors to view the beach, surf and weather conditions.

The beach-camera is expected to attract more visitors to Carmel by

showcasing the appearance and conditions along our world renown

beautiful white sand beach.

• The Beach-cam will face north along Carmel Beach to allow the best view

along the beach and to avoid facing into the sun.

• The beach-camera is expected to be on 24 hours a day, although only

the light from beach fires would be visible at night.

• The camera and its mounting structure must keep within the aesthetic

guidelines of Carmel-By-The-Sea.

Simulated North-facing views of Carmel Beach from outside the restroom near Scenic and Santa Lucia
Wide-angle view along Carmel Beach Narrow-angle view along Carmel Beach

Recommended Cameras
Fixed Camera: Cohu Md. 3930HD Pan-Tilt Camera: Cohu Md. 3960SD
(Size: 5" wide x 8" tall x 15" deep) (Size: 13" wide x 12" tall x 10" deep)

Camera Selection Tradeoffs
Fixed Camera (Md. 3930HD)
• Zoom: 18X
• For Beach, Weather and Surf
Conditions, Local TV viewing?
• (Zoom control only)
• Low maintenance
• Base Price: $2400.

Pan-Tilt Camera (Md. 396050)
• Zoom 35X
• For Beach, Weather and Surf
Conditions, Local TV viewing?
• Motion control available for
Police & Fire Services (only)
• Low maintenance
• Base Price: $4500.

Implementation Plan

1. Request proposals and fixed price costs from local companies that can

install and service the 'turn key' system. (Total cost estimate: < $10,000. )

plus about $75. per month for internet access from ATI DSL or Comcast Cable.)

Also, periodic camera face plate cleaning may be required .

2. Obtain quotations from 2 or 3 companies: First Alarm and Cohu Electronics.

3. Obtain approval of City Council for project and funding.

4. Obtain permit from Coastal Commission.

5. Post Notices for neighbors (within 300ft. radius of Scenic and Santa Lucia site).

6. Review and negotiate proposal and contract from selected system installer.

7. Release contract for purchase, installation, training and documentation.

8. Perform City Acceptance Test.

9. When Acceptance Test is passed and all conditions are met, approve payment.

Summary

• We have described the value and benefits of installing a beachcam located at or near the new restroom to be located at the south end of Carmel Beach near the intersection of Scenic and Santa Lucia.
• Police and Fire Services will have priority control and viewing access if some beach emergency situation arises.
• The City and Chamber of Commerce websites will allow visitors to view the beach, surf and weather conditions. The beachcamera is expected to attract more visitors to Carmel by displaying the appearance and conditions along our world renown beautiful white sand beach.
• An Implementation Plan, cost estimates and recommended
camera have been suggested.

Appendix

• Block Diagram for Beach-cam
• Specifications
Cohu Model 3930HD camera Data Sheet (attached)
Cohu Model 3960SD camera Data Sheet (attached)
• Vendor proposals
o RFQ (attached)
o Cohu Electronics proposals (attached)
o First Alarm proposal (attached)

Block Diagram for Beach-cam
Reliable high quality TV camera either fixed
or with integral Pan, Tilt and Zoom housed
in marine grade environmental enclosure
(Camera includes a complete web server.)

Specifications for Carmel Beach-Cam

• Reliable, high quality camera either fixed position or with Pan, Tilt and Zoom control enclosed in a marine-grade environmental enclosure to minimize impact of ocean salt air environment.
• Police and Fires Services computer will have first priority administrative control and access which will also define the degree of City or Chamber of Commerce website access and/or control of pan, tilt or zoom of the camera.
• Public web viewers could be put in a queue and could have a limited 30 to GO seconds viewing time per access request.
• Camera will be stand-alone mounted on a sturdy pole or mounted off the roof of the new restroom facility.
• Camera will be connected to City website via a secure internet {DNS) connection.
• Internet connection will be provided by ATT DSL or Comcast Cable internet connection.
• Power will be supplied from an existing 120 VAC source at the restroom site.
• Performance and Acceptance testing will be done by City of Carmel.
• Full payment is subject to satisfactory installation and operation.