CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Heritage and Valleybrook Parks now offer free Wi-Fi for guests, with two more parks to be connected in the near future thanks to a partnership between the City of Clarksville and Google.

In September, three wireless hotspots were installed at Heritage Park and one additional hotspot at Valleybrook. They are now active and provide free access to Wi-Fi for park guests.

A wireless hotspot was recently installed at Valleybrook Park. (Contributed).

Access to the internet can be a hurdle for many residents, especially in low-income areas. Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Letourneau said she is glad her department can help meet this need.

“Clarksville’s parks have been a safe haven and are close to some of these residents who may not have the means to travel to locations with free Wi-Fi,” Letourneau said. “This public service can allow those individuals to more easily access information for school, work, community services, and stay connected with family and friends.”

Letourneau told Clarksville Now the process took only about six months. She noted that Google was the one who contacted the city to offer free Wi-Fi as part of a nationwide program.

“Google paid for everything. We didn’t pay a dime for anything or the service,” she said. “The service is through CDE Lightband, and they (Google) pay for that as well.”

Heritage Park is at 1241 Peachers Mill Road and is one of Clarksville’s largest sports complexes, with multiple soccer fields, baseball fields and a skate park. Valleybrook Park is at 213 Crossland Ave.

How to log in

How to sign into WI FI at your local parks. (Contributed).

In order to use the new public Wi-Fi service, all users have to do is select the correct network on their Wi-Fi-enabled device. Once that is selected, users are asked to log in by agreeing to the terms and conditions of service.

More parks on the way

Heritage and Vallebrook are not the only parks that will receive free Wi-Fi service.

Both Edith Pettus and Dixon Parks have been approved by Google for free Wi-Fi and are expected to be online by the end of this month.

There are also plans in motion to add additional hotspots to Heritage Park, which will further increase coverage throughout the soccer fields.