City Redevelopment to Include WiFi Hotspots

The City of Goose Creek will be commemorating the redevelopment of Central Avenue on Oct. 10, and it will also be announcing new WiFi hotspots through a partnership with Google.

The city's downtown redevelopment project includes improvements on Central Avenue, Brandywine Boulevard and Thomason Boulevard. The work is funded through tax dollars that have been set aside to spur growth in the area.

On Central, the work included new sidewalks, buried power lines and street lamps. Last week, the spending more than $200,000 to begin work on the Brandywine improvements.

Google operates a data center in Goose Creek and has sponsored several community events organized by the municipality. This new endeavor will likely be closer to the company's bread and butter.

Last year, Google provided $100,000 for WiFi hotspots in The Dalles, a small Oregon community that also houses one of the company's data centers.

The WiFi hotspots offered by the city and Google are expected to include several locations. Most notably, there will be one in the downtown district, hopefully luring new businesses. Similar hotspots will also be spread out to other city facilities, like the municipal center and the Casey Community Center.

"Every city needs a central meeting spot to attract visitors and residents," the city noted in a release. "To do this, internet access and a visually appealing economic development zone are a must."

More information is expected later this week.