Searcy parks go wireless: Students develop plan to bring Internet outdoors

By Joseph Goldstein
The Daily Citizen
Friday, April 8, 2005 11:34 PM CDT

Inspired by a desire to do something for the city, two Harding University students are working to install wireless Internet service at Berryhill Park and the Searcy Sports Complex.

The project would make Searcy the first city in Arkansas to offer the service, the students said as they spoke to the city council at Thursday's agenda meeting.

The two students behind the project, Justin Shubert, a senior, and Christopher Perry, a junior, say that wireless Internet in the parks would allow people who own laptops to leave their offices and get a little work done in a more pleasant environment.

People can try out the service on laptops that will be available for public use during an exhibition of the project at Berryhill Park on May 6, said Perry.

Perry and Shubert anticipate that advertising revenue and donated equipment will cover the $43,000 cost of installing Internet service at the two locations.

City Clerk/Treasurer Tammy Gowen, who gave an introductory talk before the students, said that the service would make Searcy more attractive to outside businesses.

Perry named other benefits of the project as enabling vendors to conduct credit card transactions at the locations, and allowing sporting events to be viewed over the Internet as they occur.

Each time the Internet is accessed from either place, the user will see a page of advertisements, said Perry. Objectionable material on the Internet will not be accessible from either public locations.