Crystal City parkgoers will soon be able to enjoy free wi-fi.
The Crystal City Council voted unanimously Aug. 25 to approve an ordinance that will bring cameras and public wi-fi to city parks.
The city entered into a contract with Forward Slash Technology for $109,204.67 for high-resolution video surveillance cameras and free public wi-fi at the Municipal Park and Pool, the Summit Building, Darrell “Hickey” White Park and Charles A. Brown Memorial Park.
It will also provide video surveillance for the city dump in Crystal City.
The majority of the cost is for the fiber extension from the Crystal City Street Department to the end of Lincoln Street near Charlie Brown Memorial Park.
Extending the fiber will include boring and then placing approximately 1,750 feet of fiber. Once the fiber has been placed, a utility pole with dedicated power will be installed and video surveillance cameras will be attached to the pole.
Costs for the video surveillance project include third-party boring at $65,323.44; video and wi-fi equipment and installation at Hickey White Park at $11,685.18; the city dump project at $7,769.59; the Charles A. Brown Memorial Park work at $5,454.97; and work at the Municipal Park, Pool and Summit Building at $18,971.49.
Crystal City Administrator Jason Eisenbeis said the funding for the project will come from the stormwater and parks fund.
The city was able to fund the project from its existing budget by eliminating unnecessary stormwater engineering work and pushing back existing plans for a dog park and mural the city could not start this year.
“It’s just a combination of projects that we know we won’t complete this year, and we’re just going to pivot and use that money on something that’s ready to go,” Eisenbeis said.
He said the city still plans to move forward with the dog park and mural, maybe even as early as next year.
“We’re still exploring areas around the city to have the dog park and mural. It’s not likely going to happen this year because we’re heading into the winter season.”
Eisenbeis said work should begin on the camera and wi-fi project soon, and the city hopes to have it finished in 30 to 45 days to avoid inclement weather in the fall.
“It really depends on the boring company. Once they get done, it’s just putting hardware on poles,” Eisenbeis said.
He said the city had not initially been planning to install cameras and wi-fi this year.
“We budgeted about $100,000 for the park board in capital improvements this year, and they spent about $65,000 on remodeling the pool bathrooms. When they were done with remodeling the pool bathrooms, they had about $35,000 left, and they voted to add the cameras at the pool, the Summit Building and the park maintenance building. That led to, ‘Hey, why don’t we get free wi-fi in the park?’”
Eisenbeis said city officials then decided that if they were going to have cameras and wi-fi at the municipal park and pool, that it would be a good idea to offer it at all city parks, including Charlie Brown Park and the recently opened Hickey White Park.
Eisenbeis said issues at the city’s yard waste dump made adding a camera to the site a priority as well.
He said the city received feedback from a Missouri Department of Natural Resources Solid Waste inspector that because the site isn’t staffed to control who comes in and out of the site or what materials are dropped off there, that the site needed to be closed to everyone but city staff.
The city can still pick up yard waste for composting purposes and take it to the yard waste site, but residents are no longer allowed to take waste to the site themselves.
Eisenbeis said the yard waste dump has typically run on an honor system, and only residents are supposed to drop off their yard waste there, but city officials have learned that some non-residents and businesses have abused that system, even damaging the gate to the dump attempting to get in when it was closed.
However, the city hopes if video surveillance cameras are installed that the yard waste site eventually may be opened to the public again.
The cameras could also be used to help catch anyone who intentionally damages the gate to gain entrance during closed hours.
“I think we’ll be able to get to the bottom of things a lot quicker having these resources,” Eisenbeis said.
He said he’s proud that Crystal City will be one of the first municipalities in the area to offer free wi-fi to its residents.
“It shows that we’re growing. It shows that people are using our parks,” he said. “That’s what we want them to do. Parks are a vital part of our community.”
Eisenbeis said not only can the wi-fi be a benefit to those using their devices for pleasure, but also could be used by students and people working remotely outside.
It also could be used during different community events, such as holiday celebrations in the parks or events with vendors.
But most importantly is resident safety, Eisenbeis said.
“The biggest hope is to ensure that our parks are safe for our residents to use. That’s not saying we have a whole lot of crime there now, but we hope people feel comfortable and safe coming to our parks knowing that there are cameras,” Eisenbeis said. “I think it’s definitely a good use of taxpayer money to ensure that people who visit our parks feel safe.”