Waterford pushes ahead on Wi-Fi expansion in town buildings
Waterford — Town officials are moving ahead with an effort to connect all town buildings to a shared internet connection to streamline town employees’ work and expand Internet access to the town’s residents.
The project will begin with the Town Hall and the Waterford Community Center, which both have limited Wi-Fi access but will have faster access and be connected to the same network as a result of the new project, according to Waterford Police Chief Brett Mahoney, who chairs the town’s Information Technology Commission.
Mahoney said the effort ideally will create several "hot spots" at buildings around Waterford that town employees and residents can count on to use to connect to the internet via connections that are secure and subject to the same restrictions preventing inappropriate uses.
The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved a $25,700 appropriation from the town’s capital budget to pay CDW Professional Services for the installation. The town’s Board of Finance will consider the appropriation at its Nov. 9 meeting.
Mahoney said the project is aimed at allowing town workers to be able to work efficiently without having to return to Town Hall or their own office to download or upload materials.
“We’re looking to have town workers be able to stop at any of the municipal buildings" and download what they need, he said.
Subsequent phases of the project will connect the town’s Youth Services building, the police department, emergency operations center and library to the network.
The first phase, connecting the Town Hall and the community center to the townwide network, will take several months to implement if the Board of Finance approves the capital appropriation.
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