Supervisor Steve Bellone announces unveiling of Babylon's new WiFi system which will provide free wireless internet access at all of the Town's beaches, parks and facilities. When packing up for the beach or park in Babylon this summer, don't forget the suntan lotion, lunch, a blanket—and your laptop. The Town unveiled its new—and free—wireless internet service which is already up and running on the grounds of Town Hall, and will be available at all Town parks, beaches and other facilities this summer. Service is also expected to be available in the downtown areas of Copiague and Wyandanch.

"It will be free to residents and businesses and anyone who uses our parks and facilities," said Babylon Town Supervisor, Steve Bellone as he demonstrated the new system at Town Hall on Thursday. "Anyone who comes to our parks and beaches with their laptops and wireless devices can play games or conduct business."

Bellone said the service is being provided at no cost to local taxpayers. Funding for the installation of the wireless technology is coming from a federal Department of Justice COPS technology grant. What makes Babylon's program unique, however, is that the Town will be the owner and operator of the system.

"Unlike other similar projects undertaken in other cities and municipalities this one is different in that the Town has a stake in the game and ownership of the system," said Henry Quintin, the local distributor for Meraki Corporation, which manufactures the wireless hardware. But much of the work of installing that technology is under the direction of Town employees, further reducing the costs.

Many cities such as Philadelphia and Chicago, as well as Suffolk County have announced WiFI iniativies, but none have been completed to date. Other models use outside WiFi network providers who install the equipment and then charge a fee to consumers for using the network.

"Ours is free and it's here," said Bellone, beaming. "And it will require very little maintenance, so the costs to taxpayers will be minimal."

The program was started when the Town's direc- tor of information technology, Barbara Jaeckel, brought the concept to Bellone's attention almost three months ago. Since then, it moved into operation quickly and, Bellone hopes, it become a model for other communities.

In addition to providing free internet service to residents, the program includes installation of security cameras, which will reduce security costs for the Town and enable police and code enforcement to respond more quickly to incidents that require their attention, such as vandalism and loitering.

"Whenever we roll out a new initiative, we always look at the bottom line and this will save the Town a significant amount of money," said Bellone. "These cameras will be hooked up to our public safety headquarters and can reduce patrols and give us the ability to dispatch officers immediately."

Bellone is also hoping that the new WiFi program will add to the Town's economic prosperity. "This will help raise our property values because people want to live in communities where there are interesting and dynamic things happening," said Bellone. "And that goes for businesses as well."