Make Tracks and Staying In Touch
—WiFi
with a View
While Philadelphia, Seattle, Portland and other large metros
debate the merits and potential of city wide WiFi, well over
two years ago, Stevenson Washington, recognized the benefits
and installed free-to-all WiFi throughout downtown and along
the adjacent Columbia River waterfront. Intended to make this
riverfront town of 1300 more visitor friendly, the WiFi coverage
garners universal kudos from visitor and resident alike.
Over the last 20 years, Stevenson transitioned from a logging
community into a successful recreation/tourism based economy.
Situated on the river in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge
Scenic Area, Stevenson offers visitors unparalleled access
to recreation. Within a short drive of Stevenson lie world-class
windsurfing, kiteboarding, sailing, kayaking, mountain biking,
climbing, hiking and skiing.
In 1986 Congress passed the Columbia Gorge National Scenic
Act to recognize and preserve the natural beauty of the Gorge
and the varied recreational opportunities. As part of the
Act, funds were allocated to promote destination visitors
to the area. These Scenic Area funds helped build Stevenson’s
Skamania Lodge, a 258-room destination resort. With expansive
views down a 15-mile stretch of the deepest part of the Gorge,
Skamania Loge hosts a wide variety of conferences from across
the country. As with all business today, connectivity remains
key. The Stevenson downtown WiFi system became a natural addition
to the wireless already in place in the Lodge.
Stevenson’s system uses a state of the art “mesh”
technology from Qorvus (www.qorvus.net) of Vancouver, Washington.
With eleven nodes, the entire downtown and core waterfront
are covered. The system extends a mile to the west covering
the fair grounds and to the Interpretive Center at the base
of the hill leading to Skamania Lodge. Each node is completely
self-contained and self-regulating. As a WiFi visitor logs
on, the closest node picks up the signal and routes it via
the most direct route to the central hub, which connects with
the downtown fiber loop. This loop then directly links into
the NOANET Point of Presence in Stevenson.
In the summer days, visitors sit on the courthouse lawn,
laptop open, pecking away with breaks taken to enjoy the views
of the river and the gorge. Restaurant owners comment on the
number of people taking longer lunches, again with a laptop
as company. At Bob’s Beach, between on-water sessions,
windsurfers check email, their wet suits still dripping.
While the Metro Goliaths still ponder “when and how
much”, Stevenson, David-like said, “Now and free.”
Follow the Tracks of Technology. Make Tracks to the Washington
side of the Gorge.
For more information:
www.cityofstevenson.com
www.cityofstevenson.com/wifi.html
info@cityofstevenson.com
1-800-989-9178
509-427-8911
Other Links:
www.skamania.com
www.cgriversidelodge.com
www.econolodge.com
www.skamania.org
|
