Chicago Parks To Expand WiFi; Niles, Morton Grove, Park Ridge Offer Limited Amount
Suburban park districts have some wifi, and few plans to expand, while Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants to roll out Internet access to parks and public spaces.
Chicago Mayor Rahn Emanuel has announced plans to offer Wifi on a large scale in parks and public spaces, according to Huffington Post, which reports he calls his plan the "Chicago Broadband Challenge" and says it will help economic development.
To compare, we thought we'd check what local suburbs offer in the way of wifi.The conclusion? It's limited, with some districts offering more than others, and little in the way of grand plans to roll it out.
Here's a breakdown of who offers what:
- The Park Ridge Park District offers a free Internet connection in several of its facilities, including the Maine Park Leisure Center (on Sibley), the Community Center/Fitness Center (on Touhy and Western), the Oakton Ice Arena and the Senior Center, according to Kathie Hahn, marketing director.
- The Niles Park District has wifi in the Tam Tennis & Fitness Club building and has plans to offer it in the Golf View Recreation Center building in the future, according to Joe LoVerde, executive director.
- The Morton Grove Park District offers wifi in its main building, the Prairie View Community Center, on Dempster, according to Sue Braubach, marketing director.
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In This article
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Park Ridge Park District Maine Park Leisure Center
2701 W Sibley St, Park Ridge, IL -
Park Ridge Community Center
1515 W Touhy Ave, Park Ridge, IL -
Columbus Day Showcase at Oakton Ice Arena
2800 Oakton St, Park Ridge, IL -
Niles Park District
6676 W Howard St, Niles, IL -
Tam Tennis & Fitness Club
7686 N Caldwell Ave, Niles, IL -
Golf View Recreation Center
7800 N Caldwell Ave, Niles, IL
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Prairie View Community Center
6834 Dempster St, Morton Grove, IL
Harry Gio
11:57 am on Thursday, September 27, 2012
In a struggling economy, ALL WiFi and other internet services should be FREE.