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Discussion Regarding Potential Digital Kiosk Program Request For Proposals.
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Meeting Date: May 16, 2024
Contact Person/Dept: Elaine Warner/ Economic and Cultural Development Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5777
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [x] General Fund: Yes [] No [x]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [x] Attachments: []
Public Notification: GovDelivery (05/13/24)
Department Approval: Jesse Mays, Assistant City Manager (05/10/2024)
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BACKGROUND
On November 8, 2021, the City Council directed staff to release a Request for Information (RFI) relative to the inclusion of interactive kiosks in strategic locations throughout the City. The purpose of the RFI was to understand the value of providing real-time interactive information about transportation services, City meetings, special events, facilities, classes, local businesses, weather, and emergency updates among other things. The RFI was released in January 2022. Four firms responded, with two providing prototypes suitable for an outdoor environment: Ike Smart City and Soofa.
In April 2023, the Economic Development Subcommittee reviewed the options and directed staff to invite both firms to present their prototypes via two community meetings. The purpose of the community meeting however was not to identify a particular model or style but rather to invite a high-level discussion as to whether digital kiosks would be an asset to the City. Two community meetings were held in August 2023. Ike Smart City attended with a working prototype and provided information about their model. Soofa was unable to attend, but information about their unit was made available.
Staff presented an overview of the community feedback to the Economic Development Subcommittee on October 3, 2023. Public comment during the meeting included requests that local businesses receive priority advertising via a tiered structure, that the kiosks display artwork by local artists, that maintenance considerations be included for the long term, and that kiosk locations be included near transit hubs. During that meeting comments also included concerns regarding the number of potential kiosks installed and the impact on pedestrian and public space.
On October 23, 2023, the City Council directed staff to pursue an amendment to the Sign Ordinance to allow for a digital kiosk program on a separate track from the comprehensive update to the Sign Ordinance. The City Attorney’s office reviewed pertinent sections of the Code and prepared limited amendments to the Sign Ordinance to allow the City to consider an interactive digital wayfinding kiosk program on public property.
The proposed amendments to the Sign Ordinance were considered by the Planning Commission at the April 24, 2024 Planning Commission meeting. The Planning Commission voted 3-2 to recommend the City Council deny the proposed amendments. The issues discussed by the Planning Commission included the size of the potential kiosk screens, general concerns with potential commercial advertisements on the kiosks, and questions about the potential number and location of the kiosks. Although the Planning Commission was not tasked with providing comments on the content of the Kiosks, some Planning Commissioners did recommend that any commercial advertisements not include audio or video components. The minutes from the Planning Commission meeting are attached hereto as Exhibit A.
The amendments to the Sign Ordinance are slated to proceed to City Council for consideration in June 2024.
If the City Council wishes to proceed with considering a digital kiosk program, in addition to amending the Sign Ordinance the City would also need to issue a formal Request for Proposal (RFP).
DISCUSSION
In the event the City Council wishes to pursue a digital kiosk program, staff requests the Subcommittee provide recommendations to the City Council regarding the elements that should be included in a comprehensive RFP. Considerations could include geographic limits of the program, location siting, advertising and content regulations, operation, installation, infrastructure, maintenance, and term duration.
Potential scope elements are noted below to provide a baseline for Subcommittee discussion/direction and inform development of a potential RFP for consideration by City Council, if desired.
Digital Kiosk RFP Potential Scope Elements
Design
• Provide overview and dimensions of kiosk design and footprint. Indicate total space required for installation including size of digital interface.
Siting Plan
• Propose a siting plan/map and indicate where kiosks should be installed within the City (i.e., near transit hubs, community spaces, etc.)
• Indicate the minimum units required to implement a program and provide reasoning for location selection.
Infrastructure
• Submit technical specifications for kiosk infrastructure relative to power, connectivity, and communications technologies.
• Indicate capability to potentially connect directly to the City’s Culver Connect fiber network.
• Describe installation process and requirements for placement on public-right-of-way.
Operation
• Detail kiosk operational capacity and, useful life.
• Advise on technological innovations the industry may experience during the Kiosk’s life cycle.
Maintenance
• Provide overview of maintenance requirements, responsibilities, frequency, cost, etc., including vendor maintenance plan and response times.
Uses
• Provide overview of uses and interactive features of Kiosks, including location-aware directory listings, interactive mapping technology, City content integration systems, content customization tools, etc.
Equality and Accessibility
• Detail how each Kiosk will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), multilingual and will be equitably distributed in the community.
Financing
• Outline financing program relative to cost neutral and/or revenue generating models.
• Please describe current business model, fee schedule or revenue sharing utilized in other deployments.
• Indicate costs and financing options to install Kiosks independently of an advertising partnership.
Public Outreach
• Provide overview of public outreach plan and strategies to inform the community regarding the features and/or concerns with the kiosk program.
Qualifications and Experience
• Provide qualifications and experience with digital kiosk programming including number of deployments, national footprint, current contracts, local presence, etc.
Case Studies
• Provide three examples of other successful installations and current status.
Advertising
• Provide an overview of proposed advertising strategy and highlight how advertising components/slides, icons, buttons etc. are integrated and displayed during active use and passive/default mode.
• Acknowledge the City advertising content regulations. By way of example, the Culver City Bus Advertisements are not permitted to include the following:
1. Political campaign speech;
2. Adult-related products and services, alcohol, firearms, and tobacco, smoking, smoking materials, including electronic smoking or “vaping”;
3. Sexual or excretory subject matter;
4. False, misleading or deceptive;
5. Copyright, trademark, or otherwise unlawful;
6. Illegal activity;
7. Profanity or violence;
8. Demeaning or disparaging;
9. Harmful or disruptive to transit system;
10. Lights, noise, and special effects; and
11. Unsafe transit behavior.
For purposes of consistency with an already established City advertising program, the Subcommittee may wish to consider utilizing similar criteria, which could be updated for a potential kiosk program.
ATTACHMENTS
Minutes from April 24, 2024 Planning Commission Meeting