The village of Fair Haven is poised to become the first Cayuga County municipality with free wireless Internet access if the board and library agree to partner on the initiative this summer.

The project that would broadcast a Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity, signal in Central Park would cost around $1,500. The village board aims to split that price tag with the library, which would also provide its high-speed Internet connection for public access.

“The village has approved a trial (network),” said Mayor William McVea, a proponent of Wi-Fi for the village. “It'll

basically cover the downtown.”

Under the plan, a Wi-Fi server would broadcast the radio-like wireless signal from the library while a repeater device would bolster the waves near the bandstand in Central Park. Anyone with an electronic device capable of picking up the signal, namely Wi-Fi-ready laptop computers, could access the Internet for free.

The network could be an asset to residents as well as tourists, McVea said.

“We're a resort community and we have a lot of people passing through,” he said.

The village is ready to move forward with KBE of Camillus once the library board of trustees confirms its support. A questionnaire is available for library patrons to weigh in on the proposed investment.

“At this point it's a matter of study,” said village Trustee Matthew Osterhaudt, who also serves as president of the library board. “I think everyone is in favor of it, provided there's a need.”

The village will be able to monitor usage and eventually consider expansions should the service prove popular.

“Anything we can do to make the village more user-friendly we should do,” Osterhaudt said. “The library already offers an excellent service, this would just be taking it to the next step.

“The future is here now,” he said.

The library board expects to meet and decide on the project in another few weeks to allow time for the questionnaires to circulate. The move would put Fair Haven on the forefront of the recent public interest in the technology.

The state Thruway Authority announced in March all 27 travel plazas have Wi-Fi access. In January a group of community leaders included development of a citywide Wi-Fi network in Auburn as a key bullet point in its Call to Action: Blueprint for Our Region's Future.

The village meets next at 7:30 p.m. Monday. This week's meeting was postponed because of Fourth of July activities.

Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net