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BY ROBERT GIDDENS, LORI MAGEE, APRP, AND For the last seven years, the Village of Buffalo Grove has been committed to using technology to create efficiencies in the workplace and improve the delivery of public services. The Village continues to seek cost-effective ways of improving its product through well-researched and strategic application of technology. One such case involves a partnership and the implementation of a wireless network. The Method In an effort to improve communication and simplify the transmission of data, the Village of Buffalo Grove began using a wireless network to connect the municipal campus with remote village sites including the fire station and golf buildings. The initial objective of the program was to provide a low-cost solution to reduce dependency on external network providers and eliminate telecommunication costs associated with data communications.
Previously, the Village of Buffalo Grove—along with the Buffalo Grove Park District, and local School Districts 21, 96 and 102—used a cable-based I-net to connect the various buildings. The cable was provided as a part of the cable franchise agreement and proved to be a reliable system of transmitting data between locations. As a free solution to transferring data, the I-net met the needs of the users. As the reliance upon the I-net progressed from a convenient tool into a major part of the core infrastructure, the system support from the cable company diminished. The result was an overreliance on a system that was plagued by service disruptions. To establish more stability, the village opted to use a wireless network, which uses a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) public frequency radio system that is encrypted to ensure both protected and noncompetitive communication. Subsequent funding from an Illinois FIRST grant allowed School District 102 and Buffalo Grove Park District to participate in the network and connect to each others facilities and share resources such as the Internet. The use of a wireless network saves the Buffalo Grove Park District approximately $8,400 per year in telephone (T-1 line) and Internet charges, and the Village realizes a savings of roughly $50,400 on similar charges. An added benefit of the wireless network is that the system is seven times faster than theT-1 line offered by the telephone company. Financial Commitment In order to upgrade to the wireless network, there was a one-time capital expenditure of approximately $75,000. As previously stated, the funding for the network was provided through Illinois FIRST grants. The savings realized by the network would have matched the capital outlay within 18 months of operation. The benefits of the wireless network extend beyond financial savings. The network has created "virtual offices" for village employees. Employees in the police, fire and public works departments are able to submit reports, access data, and obtain assignments, without having to return to the office. Strategically located within the village are "replication centers," which serve as sources for data transmission. Therefore, police, fire and paramedics can complete reports from anywhere in town and "link" directly into the network rather than from a networked PC in the office. This kind of set-up allows civil servants to remain on the streets, not behind a desk. The centers have enough coverage of the village that one needs to drive only a few minutes, at September/October 2002 11 most, to connect to the signal. With multiple locations throughout the community, the district can communicate from center to center and can tap into a central database to access village and agency information (e.g., ordinances, park district policies and village codes) within a few keystrokes. Reliability "The wireless system has been terrific," says Mike Rylko, executive director of the Buffalo Grove Park District. "We are a lot less 'clogged' with users, which have caused us, in the past, to lose connections. Additionally, the system reduces the overall time it takes for downloading files and data transfer." In fact, within the last 10 years, the demand for use of e-mail and Internet within the park district has skyrocketed. "Both the Recreation and Parks departments have begun to use the Internet to shop for the best prices for goods and services," says Dan Schimmel, director of recreation and facilities. "Staff has also been able to use the system to communicate more effectively with the media, residents, vendors, colleagues—almost everyone we normally come into contact with on a daily basis. This means of communication has been a huge benefit to Buffalo Grove." According to Ryan Risinger, superintendent of recreation and director of MIS for the Buffalo Grove Park District, there's room to grow and further expand the network with this system. "The Buffalo Grove Park District is not using the system nearly to its full potential," says Risinger. "We're ready to add more sophisticated features as the demand calls for it." For park district employees such as fine arts assistant Can Reporto and museum manager Debbie Fandrei, the benefits of the system proved its value with recent, measurable growth in their respective program areas. "We compete with so many community theatre groups to promote our major productions, we are now able to link the park districts Fine Arts Department to some of the major cultural art 'e-hubs' to redirect traffic to our Web site," says Reporto. "For example, we went from 15 performers signed up to audition for our summer 2002 musical to 87 once we posted and linked the audition dates and times online. This summer, we cast members from Indiana to Wisconsin as well as from the local community. "We realize how the word got out for this production. It's all online and our Web site was able to maintain the heavy traffic of these Internet users." Fandrei, with the technical assistance of Jason Genck, division manager for the Buffalo Grove Park District, was able to create and host the "Illinois Passport to Adventure" Web site, linked through the Buffalo Grove Park District home page (www.bgparkdistrict.org/passport/index.htm). This program is a multi-county, multi-museum collaboration that takes place every summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day, generating the participation of thousands of Illinois children and their families each year. Since many of the museums are not within the immediate vicinity of the Passport program participants, 12 Illinois Parks and Recreation
Fandrei realizes the importance of "virtual" information. "Since taking over the Passport to Adventure program for my region, I knew that marketing was top priority," says Fandrei. "It's been a huge benefit to the program that my agency had the resources to build and host this important information source. "Many park districts contract outside their agency for Web design and hosting and often are charged fees for this service. My staff and my agency created this feature for the Illinois Association of Museums, and had the resources to do so quickly and for no cost to the association. It's a benefit to everyone involved, especially to the parents and children participating in the program." Looking Ahead In an effort to stay ahead of the technological curve and enhance the level of security on public airwaves, the wireless network requires another upgrade. The Village of Buffalo Grove was contacted in 2001 by Internet companies requesting the use of the 2.4 GHz public frequency to provide wireless Internet access to the community. Recognizing that the potential for connectivity problems are on the horizon for an increasingly crowded 2.4 GHz wireless network, the Village of Buffalo Grove currently is implementing a new technology using a 5.7 GHz wireless system that is sophisticated enough to allow many entities to share the same space on the radio frequency while ensuring reliable communication and security from point to point. As a component of improved wireless system, the village will be able to provide video monitoring capabilities at specific identified locations that can be monitored and controlled from a remote site. The implementation of online, real-time closed circuit television monitoring of select park district facilities proved its value to the park district, local police department and to an unsuspecting guest from New Jersey in the summer of 2002. While visiting and working out at the Buffalo Grove Fitness Center, this guest discovered that his money clip (containing more than $3,000 in cash), placed on the floor of the fitness center, had been stolen while using the fitness equipment. Often there are limited or no witnesses to these acts and stolen items, especially cash, are hardly ever recovered. Through the online monitoring system put into place by the Buffalo Grove Park District and Buffalo Grove Police Department, a review of the Fitness Center video disc proved to be of great benefit. The time and location of the theft, as well as a detailed picture of the accused thief were all recorded online. Armed with this information, the Buffalo Grove Police Department and the membership services staff were able to identify the accused individual, and recover the $3,000 almost immediately. The expanded wireless network will continue to use Internet Service Provider (ISP) grade equipment that will allow for a secure solution now and will be flexible enough to grow in the future. The computer hardware is still good to use even with the upgrade, so the infrastructure is still good to go. This solution can be built upon the foundation created through the original capital expenditure as most of equipment can be reused. The cost of the project is contingent on the number of entities that are looking to participate in the system. By collaborating with the schools and the park district, the village is able to share the cost of the primary (hub) site at Village Hall and monthly maintenance costs. In the future, the park district hopes to pursue and implement more advanced system opportunities such as real-time online registration, videoconferencing, online training, Web casts and more. Everyone Can Benefit The benefit of this intergovernmental partnership is the creation of a very fast, reliable, self-maintained network that will help each partner stay ahead of the technological curve. Each agency will continue to pursue alternative methods for funding these advancements and review the benefits of these upgrades on a case-by-case basis. In the meantime, the Buffalo Grove Park District, Village of Buffalo Grove and local school districts enjoy the financial benefits of this service, the timesaving methods it brings forth, and the benefit that speedy service brings to a community using the Internet as its primary information tool. "It's an e-world these days," says Schimmel. "We need to continue to think and plan for e-solutions!"
ROBERT GIDDENS
LORI MAGEE, APRP,
RYAN RISINGER, CPRP, The Buffalo Grove Park District is recognized as an Illinois Distinguished Leisure Services Agency. September/October 2002 13 |
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