Searcy, AR adopts wireless ordinance

City adopts wireless ordinance: Searcy parks plan May 6 kick off for Internet service

An ordinance to appropriate donated funds for free wireless access in Searcy's recreational areas was approved during Tuesday night's city council meeting.

The Wireless in the Park Project will bring wireless Internet access to the areas of Berryhill Park and the Searcy Sports Complex. Searcy will be the first city in the state to develop such a system.

Mayor Belinda LaForce and City Clerk Tammy Gowen have been co-developing the plan with its originators, Harding students Christopher Perry and Justin Shubert. Gowen said the project already has $10,000 in donations offered by local banks.

"If we only receive enough money for one park, we'll do one park," LaForce said during the meeting. "We're only using donations -- it's not coming out of city funds."

Gowen said she believes the project is an opportunity to bring new technology to Searcy.

"We're hoping it will target Searcy as trying to be progressive so that other industries will look at us and want to move here," Gowen said.

She said it would also benefit the city's students and business people.

"They could go to the park and take their kids while they do a little bit of work," Gowen said.

Gowen said the project also includes future plans for using streaming video at the ball fields.

"Maybe there are grandparents or parents that can't get to the ball park--we can have the live video streamed so they can watch their children play ball via the Internet," Gowen said.

She said, the wireless network will also allow the ball fields to accept debit and credit cards improving the movement of admissions, concessions and league registration.

"Also we're looking at it to tie in with our website," Gowen said.

She said people can access the website instantly to report and receive information on rain-out days and sports scores.

"Instead of waiting until they get home to give that information, they can do it right there," Gowen said.

No city funding will be used, Gowen said. And other wireless vendors will not be affected in the areas, nor will the city try and compete with Internet providers.

"It's not in competition with anyone. We're not getting in the business of selling Internet," Gowen said. "It's just another way for people to enjoy the quality of life here."

Also during the meeting the board approved an ordinance rezoning Pathfinder, a care facility for the mentally disabled located on Sawmill Drive.

The ordinance will allow the organization to build a 24-hour staffed apartment complex next to their current building.

Director of Operations and Administration Mike McCreight said the complex will house the same individuals that are now in the care facility and will give them more personal freedom.

"It's a less restricted, more independent setting," McCreight said. "They have more responsibilities in preparing meals and maintenance of their apartment."

Also during the meeting, Trinity Episcopal Church petitioned the board, proposing the permanent closing of a section of Market Street from west of the Wilbur D. Mills Courthouse to Elm Street.

Church representative Jimmy Simpson said it was a lack of space for growth that prompted the church to petition the area to be closed.

"We can't build in our parking lot. That would leave nowhere to park," Simpson said.

"You really don't have any other way to go besides up," Alderman Doug Faith said.

Simpson said closing the street would also benefit the city by creating parking for the court building and other city offices.

The board also approved the hiring of Jackson-Brown-King Architects of Little Rock to begin reconstruction of Searcy Central Fire Station and the signing of a lease with Steve Johnson, owner of the former Searcy Physical Therapy building at 406 E. Booth Road.

The city clerk and probation office will move to the location but the Searcy District Court will remain at the Carmichael Center until construction is completed on the new jail facility on Booth Road, where the court and city offices will move permanently.

A discussion on the possibility of a 1 cent sales tax increase was also held during the meeting. The board decided to wait thirty days on a vote to petition a 1 cent sunset tax proposed by Mark Derrick or a city-wide "master plan" developed by LaForce. The master plan would also include an estimated eight-year sunset tax.