Brooks Truitt Park (aka “Bark Park”) in midtown and Bill Conlin Youth Sports Complex in South Sacramento both have gone live with free public Wi-Fi.
Part of the City’s public/private partnership with Verizon, the free Wi-Fi is only available during the parks’ hours of operation, which run from sunrise to sunset daily. (Wi-Fi hours could extend when special events occur.)
“We’re working to close the digital gap in our communities while also creating a comfortable environment for our community spaces,” said Councilmember Steve Hansen, whose district includes Brooks Truitt Park. “I am excited to see the City continue to invest in Truitt Bark Park and in our two-legged and four-legged friends.”
To access the Wi-Fi, park visitors need to select “CITY-PARK-FREE-WIFI” as their network on their mobile devices. Once they agree to the terms and conditions, they will be connected to the internet. The Wi-Fi service relies on standard internet equipment and does not use 5G. Informational signage soon be installed in the parks.
“The free Wi-Fi will encourage more people to spend time in City parks as well as create a more equitably connected city,” said Natasha Greer, IT project manager for the City of Sacramento. “I look forward to working with Verizon on the goal of bringing Wi-Fi to 23 more parks by the end of 2020.”
Truitt “Bark Park” (1818 Q St.) features a fenced-in dog park and seven all-weather umbrellas. The park also has a community garden, lighting, trees and public art, including an iconic dog-themed mural.
The Conlin Youth Sports Complex (7895 Freeport Blvd.) offers two ball fields, a basketball court, a concession stand, a soccer field and picnic areas with barbecues. It also is home to the Lynn Robie Dog Park. The main Wi-Fi coverage areas are the soccer field, dog park and concessions area.
In addition to Brooks Truitt Park and Bill Conlin Youth Sports Complex, Fremont Park (1515 Q St.) launched its free Wi-Fi in October 2019. Work is underway to next bring free Wi-Fi to Carl Johnston Park in North Sacramento.
As part of its commitment to innovation, the City of Sacramento entered into a public/private partnership with Verizon in 2017. In addition to bringing free Wi-Fi to 27 parks across the city, the partnership facilitates the deployment of 5G for homes and businesses and provides tools to better manage traffic and make streets safer for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. Find more details on the Verizon public/private partnership here.