A Weekly Note from Mayor Gary L. Graham
“Traditional Values, Progressive Thinking”
As cold winter winds blow and wintery weather surrounds us, thoughts of warmer weather that is just around the corner tend to brighten our spirits. We begin to daydream about spring and summer and the fun family activities that warm weather brings.
I am very pleased that we are now able to offer free Wi-Fi service throughout ommunity Park and the new Family Sports Park to our residents and visitors who may want to surf the Internet or finish some work while watching their children’s sports teams compete.
This is the first known wireless Internet service for public use operating in the metro area. Our plans call for additional Internet hot spots throughout the City of O’Fallon as we move forward.
To utilize the free Wi-Fi service, all residents need to do is take their laptop to Community Park or the Family Sports Park, power it up and connect wirelessly to the network. The service is designed to handle any special event or function held at both parks. There is no limit to the number of users that can simultaneously connect to the network, so connection to the system is simple and easy. Once connected to the Wi-Fi network you will be directed to a welcome screen. From there, simply click on the connect link and you’re on your way to surfing the Internet.
The City has teamed up with Wisper to provide the free Wi-Fi system as well as the facilitation of the City’s many other communication connectivity needs. For example, wireless communications are utilized to track the demands of our City water system, the Point of Sale software used in our concession buildings in the parks, and used by parks maintenance workers to better communicate with each other when they are out in the field. Future plans include expanding the wireless network to provide surveillance capabilities for Public Safety, and other City uses.
For more information on the free Wi-Fi service in O’Fallon parks, please contact John Presley at jpresley@ofallon.org or 624-4500, ext. 9-1244.
I hope that you and your family are able to take advantage of the new Wi-Fi service in our parks and find it useful as you begin planning your spring and summer activities. The strong working relationship between City Hall and the residents we serve is yet another example of why O’Fallon is such a great community in which to live.
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