Board approves Granite Town Media server move from high school to town hall

The Board of Selectmen on July 14 authorized Granite Town Media to relocate its broadcast servers from Milford High School to a room in the Town Hall auditorium and to establish office space behind the balcony.

Chris Gentry, representing Granite Town Media, said the Milford School District asked GTM to vacate its high school server room before the start of the school year so the space can be repurposed for videography instruction. Gentry said GTM reduced its racks from five to two in 2019 but still needs the capacity to expand.

Gentry described an auditorium-side room behind the balcony and a basement storage reconfiguration that would accommodate equipment. He said Comcast fiber relocation costs are covered under the town’s franchise agreement, and DPW staff will assist with the physical move; GTM will pay for a mini-split cooling system from its revolving fund.

Interim Town Administrator Mike Viola and DPW representatives reviewed access, roof placement of exterior condensers and visual impacts; GTM said exterior units would be roof-mounted on the east end and not visible from South Street.

Selectman Mike Thornton praised the relocation for improving physical security and reducing network distance that has caused occasional delays; Gentry said a direct feed from the auditorium to Comcast should reduce latency.

Selectman Paul Darje moved to authorize the relocation as presented; the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded dissents.

Granite Town Media and town staff will coordinate bids for cooling and a move date; GTM said initial bids are pending and they will fund the HVAC work from their funds.