ISHPEMING — The city of Ishpeming has an opportunity to use Northern Michigan University’s Educational Access Network in exchange for space on its New York Street water tank.

The Ishpeming City Council at its meeting Wednesday will consider a 10-year agreement that grants NMU space on the water tank for sector antennas, a microwave dish and fiberoptic equipment, and space on a parcel adjacent to the water tank for transceiver equipment and a backup generator in exchange for use of the NMU network.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers at Ishpeming City Hall.

According to the draft agreement included with agenda materials, the agreement will “enable LTE access” to the city’s network “for Ishpeming operations including emergency vehicles, utility vehicles,” as well as Ishpeming offices and municipal buildings.

The network promises a “best effort” bandwidth service of data transfer of up to 20 megabits per second download speeds and 5 Mbps upload speeds per client, the draft agreement states.

The lease agreement, if approved, allows NMU “reasonable ingress and egress” to the site “for the purpose of maintaining, installing, operating or repairing the communications equipment” with 24-hour notice to the city.

The council will also consider recommendations from its planning commission that the city remain “opted out” of the current Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act.

An email from Planning and Zoning Administrator Al Pierce to other city staff states that the planning commission recommends the city “allow time for (state) rules to be made, re-evaluated and reconsidered at some time in the future when there is a track record and a way of evaluating the effect upon the city.”

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs filed emergency rules governing adult-use marijuana establishments on July 3.

The proposal for recreational marijuana passed by popular vote in November 2018. The Ishpeming City Council was one of the first municipal bodies in the Upper Peninsula to adopt an ordinance prohibiting adult-use marijuana establishments in December.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242.