Providing public Wi-Fi access at Kessler Park will empower the community with enhanced and/or convenient access to internet services, especially for those residents that cannot afford internet at home.
Providing public Wi-Fi access at Kessler Park will empower the community with enhanced and/or convenient access to internet services, especially for those residents that cannot afford internet at home. Credit: sbcounty.gov

Ellen Perrault

Bloomington residents will have the Board of Supervisors to thank when they visit Kessler Park and experience the convenience of free high-speed fiber optic internet service.

The City of Bloomington that is nearly 86% Hispanic according to the Census Reporterā€“a rate more than double that of California at 40%– and a poverty rate of about 14% was recently awarded $79,750 from the Bloomington Community Benefit/Improvement Reserve to the Bloomington Recreation and Park District.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors recently approved the funding for internet services and related infrastructure improvements at Kessler Park. The project will feature a Wi-Fi main hub system with access points and high-speed fiber optic internet service throughout Kessler Park.

Providing public Wi-Fi access at Kessler Park will empower the community with enhanced and/or convenient access to internet services, especially for those residents that cannot afford internet at home.

 ā€œHaving access to the internet is the key to success for students and the gateway to vital services for seniors and other vulnerable residents,ā€ said Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr., whose Fifth District includes Bloomington. ā€œIncome will no longer be a barrier for our residents who can visit Kessler Park.ā€

As internet access becomes more and more an essential part of daily life, experts believe closing the digital divide will also close the gap between the information rich and the information poor.

Ellen Perrault is retired and works occasionally as a freelance writer who contributes to publications in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Her primary focus is preparing/reformatting press releases and other public announcementsā€“both municipal and nonprofitā€“for publication.