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MANSFIELD — Supply chain issues have slowed the implementation of a free, public wi-fi system in the city’s downtown.
But James Weiner, the city’s Information Technology director, said the system is almost ready to go.
“After dealing with some supply chain issues, we have about 70 percent of the equipment installed and ready to go,” Weiner said Monday.
“We are currently working out some power issues on the (Central Park) square, but preliminary network testing has been completed, and the majority of the heavy work is completed.
“We hope to be able to have the Wi-Fi up and open to the public by the end of March,” Weiner said.
Mansfield City Council approved the $47,626 project in August 2021 after a presentation from Weiner and Downtown Mansfield Inc. CEO Jennifer Kime.
“Out of all the projects I have brought you over the years,” Weiner told council, “I am most excited about this one. This is a great thing for the city of Mansfield.”
Kime told council the proposal to offer the wi-fi in a several-block radius is just the first phase of a longer-term, “Smart City” approach.
“This is a project that came out of Mansfield Rising … it’s another one of our initiatives,” Kime said. “A lot of other communities have it. We’re not breaking ground here. This is just something that helps us level up and keep up with other communities.
“It provides an amenity for businesses and residents and helps people have reasons to gather.”
When it’s activated, the wi-fi coverage area will encompass land from East Fifth Street on the north and Park Avenue East on the south with east-west boundaries of South Adams Street and Main Street.
Funds for the project, which will use existing city bandwidth, will come from the Downtown Improvement Fund, created by City Council in 2018 to fund projects by adding $5 to the cost of local motor vehicle registrations.
Free public wi-fi is one of the goals identified in the Mansfield Rising Downtown Reinvestment Plan in 2019. The proposal was previously recommended by the Downtown Improvement Advisory Board and approved by the city’s Board of Control.
Kime said at the time the project will attract more visitors and more community events and also offer greater broadband equity.
“We know a lot people have unlimited data, but we also know a lot of people don’t. This service will help that segment of the community,” she said.
Weiner told City Council the plan is to get basic infrastructure in place and tested and ensure it’s functioning as planned before expanding the wi-fi footprint to more of the downtown and perhaps also to public transit buses, city parks and more.
“It gives the city of Mansfield the opportunity to build an infrastructure that we could then build a ‘Smart City’ initiative on,” Weiner said.
The city is partnering with Northwest Regional Systems, a Mansfield company that has installed wireless internet systems around the country.
Kime praised the efforts of Northwest owner Patrick Simon for offering “a great price” and his expertise. His company is located at 485 Oak St.
The ultimate goal for a “Smart City” is the creation of an urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect data. Insights gained from that data are used to manage assets, resources and services efficiently; in return, that data is used to improve the operations across the city.
