CREEDE — As part of its effort to remain continually involved in its communities, Ciello has completed its fifth neighborhood-wide Wi-Fi project. Creede’s Main Street now has an access point located near the Coffee on the Fly building in the middle of downtown that will allow anyone in the vicinity to access free Wi-Fi with the push of a button.

“This access point is located on a pole in the middle of town that will give free internet access to anyone within one block north or south of Coffee on the Fly. It is an omnidirectional access point which covers a 360-degree pattern around the access point location. This — and the other projects — were part of our mission to support local communities,” explained Ciello’s Chief Technology Officer Monroe Johnson.

Creede, like many communities in the San Luis Valley, has always been supportive of Ciello and its efforts to bring high-speed internet to rural locations. Some of the main issues that these small mountain towns face are the lack of internet or cellular service or in Creede's case congested service when the area is full of people during an event or in the summer when hundreds of people travel to the area and use technological services.

According to Johnson, this access point will help alleviate some of the congestion that occurs in Creede during busy times of the year.

“This will absolutely alleviate some of the congestion happening in the area when there is a large number of people using internet and cellular services. We are happy to provide this service to Creede and are grateful for the continued support of the town, county, and its residents,” Johnson said.

Other projects like this include access points at the city park in Center, Chapman Park in Monte Vista, north of the city office in La Jara, and Otto Mears Park in Saguache. Most of these projects are fully funded by Ciello as a service to the community. 

The free Wi-Fi near Basham Park in Creede began on Aug. 31 and allows for 100 Mbps of service with the potential to increase if the need arises. The project was initiated by the City of Creede.

“City Manager Louis Fineberg reached out to us and asked if something like this would be possible, and we happily agreed and set to work. We are always looking for locations to provide this type of service throughout the San Luis Valley and are always willing to partner with towns,” Johnson said.

Johnson also explained that when an event takes place near the access point, they can offer private networks to visiting vendors.

“We can set up private networks for events like the local farmers market to allow things like credit card transactions for vendors. The city or a vendor can contact us and let us know they need one set up and we can offer that service,” Johnson said.