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By Shawn Daley - Editor
For
years Apex officials have displayed their commitment to preserving the
past by keeping the historic section of the downtown intact.
Now town officials are showing that they also have a keen eye for the
future.
By early July, Apex will become the first municipality in the Triangle to
offer free wireless Internet service to the public.
The wireless Internet zone will encompass the entire downtown historic
business district along Salem Street.
“This really provides an additional benefit for people who come into the
downtown,” said Andrew Liput, president of the Downtown Merchants’
Association. “We are proud of our historic downtown and it is one of the
very few still in existence. But we are also able to change with the
times.”
The service, which was first suggested by town commissioner Bryan Gossage
in early April, is the result of an agreement among the town, the Apex
Downtown Business Association and the chamber of commerce.
The town will pay for the entire cost of the system, which is estimated at
$3,000, by contributing economic development money to the project. The
Downtown Merchants’ Association will pay for the monthly access service.
“The goal is to increase traffic flow in the downtown,” said Gossage. “Now
you can come to the downtown and get some work done and still go to a
restaurant or do some shopping. Maybe you wouldn’t have come to town if
you had to stay at your computer.
“Some people feel they are leashed to their desk. This offers a little
extra freedom and a little more flexibility for people.”
Once the service begins, anyone with a wireless network card installed in
their laptop can gain Internet access at no charge.
People who log on will find a special “Apex page” that promotes the town.
“It’s part promotion for the town and it’s part providing a valuable
service,” said Liput.
“Let’s say your spouse wants to go shopping but you have work to do. Now,
you can come along, sit outside on a bench and get some work done. It’s
just another way to bring people here.”
Although the service will only be available outdoors, Liput says it will
become available inside some businesses within a year.
“We won’t have it everywhere because it wouldn’t make sense to have it in
some businesses,” said Liput. “But we’d like to have it in restaurants and
coffeehouses, places where you can go and maybe spend half-an-hour.”
Besides the initial cost and a monthly service fee, the only other item
the town will need is a small 12-18 inch antenna that will be placed on
top of the Salem Street fire station.
Although the project is relatively cheap and could attract more people to
the business area, Apex is the only town in the region to offer the
service. The closest town to offer wireless Internet is Mt. Airy.
“That’s because it’s new technology,” said Gossage. “We are just
fortunate enough to be at the forefront. I think you will see many more
towns follow our lead.”
According to Liput, it is a service that is becoming more widespread in
other parts of the country.
It is certainly the wave of the future,” said Liput. “You have a lot of
businesses, like Starbucks, that already have it. So it is very cutting
edge but something that people will still find beneficial.
“I think this shows that we have our feet firmly planted in the past but
we are constantly looking to the future.”
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