Lackawanna County residents and visitors can begin to benefit from the County’s new wireless network via a growing number of free public Wi-Fi hot spots deployed throughout the County owned recreation areas.
In addition to Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton, free public internet access is now available at McDade Park on the Scranton-Taylor border, at Merli-Sarnoski Park in Greenfield Township, and at Aylesworth Park in Archbald. Covington Park will be added as a public hot spot later this spring.
“Over three years ago, we had a vision of creating a network that would not only improve the infrastructure of Lackawanna County, but also create a network that could benefit an entire community,” said Commissioner Corey D. O’Brien. “We have accomplished that goal and enhanced our community tremendously. The Wi-Fi service to our parks is a great addition to an already superior recreation network.”
“This project represents another advancement for Lackawanna County’s overall network infrastructure. By extending Wi-Fi into our parks, we are providing a great service for people to come and relax or to do work on a secure network. It is another major convenience that we are able to offer, making us a true technology leader,” said Commissioner Jim Wansacz.
“This is a great project and service that we are able to provide. Our park system is second to none and the efficiencies of this new technology will have an even greater impact on our County,” explained Commissioner Patrick M. O’Malley.
“This network was built with the community in mind and this feature directly speaks to that vision,” said Lackawanna County’s Chief Information Officer Jeffrey Mando. “Public-access Wi-Fi is just one of the many ‘last mile’ applications that this network can support.”
“Adding Wi-Fi to both Merli-Sarnoski and Aylesworth Parks was nothing short of challenge,” said Mr. Mando. “We had to use innovative solutions to make the connections. We used Whitespace technology at Merli-Sarnoski due to the dense trees surrounding the park, and a solar/wind unit is powering the radio at Aylesworth.”
Lackawanna County will also extend Wi-Fi access to local business or park districts that agree to co-sponsor the initial equipment cost. The first of these sponsored locations went live under a pilot program in the Borough of Jessup. Jessup has a compact downtown bordered by playgrounds and parks and hosts events such as the St. Ubaldo festival and an annual wine festival. Wi-Fi deployments at Station Park and the Kids Corner play area in Jessup will be sponsored by both the Jessup 21st Century Association and the Borough of Jessup. A second phase will add Wi-Fi to the softball and little league fields this spring.
“This program brings us up to par with existing technology of the 21st Century,” said President of the Jessup 21st Century Association Genevieve Lupini. “We are a community rooted in heritage, growing toward tomorrow.”
Dunmore Borough will be sponsoring a free public Wi-Fi hotspot at the newly renovated McHale Park and Community Center on Monroe Avenue. This public access hotspot will cover the two Dunmore little league fields, as well as the children’s play area at the center.
Covington Township secured an in-kind sponsorship by lending access to its windmill tower and electric power and now has free public internet access at the Moffat Estate grounds and park.
The County plans to continue adding free public Wi-Fi hotspots as cooperating municipalities and sponsors come forward. These hotspots will be tracked on an interactive map located on the new Lackawanna County Wireless Initiative webpage.
A link to the County wireless network is not limited to Wi-Fi, however. Public safety video cameras can be backhauled across the internet to anywhere on the planet. This is just one example of a technical advantage made available through the County innovation.
The first layer of service installed on the network connecting all of the County offices and magistrates will save more than $400,000 annually. Lackawanna County added broadband service to TekRidge Center in the Jessup Business Park, to the Enterprise Office Building in Scranton, and to Lakeland School District as proof-of-concept installations during the winter. Broadband for Scranton’s Single Tax Office in The Steamtown Mall will be added this month.
Public Wi-Fi is the newest layer, and a new IP-based land mobile radio system for 911 will be integrated onto the network this summer. The County is also preparing to engage private internet service providers that will be able to leverage the capacity of the wireless network to better serve small businesses and residential customers later this year.
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