5 Detroit parks now offer free internet access, charging stations for devices

Free public internet access is available in five Detroit parks as a step in addressing the digital divide for residents.

Public Wi-Fi is available at Palmer, Chandler, Clark, Bradby and McDuffy parks, locations with at least 12,600 residents within walking distance. The Detroit Pistons Foundation, Rocket Community Fund and Knight Foundation contributed $250,000 in grants to fund the five-year initiative. City leaders will use that time to accumulate more funding. Grants cover the installation and service through Cronus Internet, along with solar-powered charging stations for personal devices.

"This helps out those communities that do not have internet access at their home, and then it also gives the opportunity to spend some time in beautiful parks," Crystal Perkins, director of the General Services Department, said at Wednesday's announcement at Clark Park. "We wanted a mix of neighborhood parks, but also the bigger parks. ... We don't want the smaller communities to feel left out, that we're always putting extra amenities and resources in our bigger parks."

Perkins added that the five parks are in areas where access to technology is a challenge among residents.

Several access points will be placed around the parks to expand the signal across the areas, said Art Thompson, chief information officer.

"Technology is something that I want to see every resident have at their fingertips, no matter where they're at, if they're out and about, if they're at a park they're playing. I truly believe this is an opportunity for us to change the face of Detroit, change the future of our children, of our residents, and really help bridge that digital divide," Thompson said.

Construction began and was completed last summer in most parks, except Chandler Park, which was completed in June. Connect 313, which helps close the digital gap, and the Detroit Parks Coalition performed a study on internet usage in the parks from January 2023 through June 2024, finding that 25,234 people used the available Wi-Fi networks.

Miranda Pasaye, 17, and Ana Diaz, 16, live near Clark Park and have used the Wi-Fi to complete college applications or fill out timesheets for their stints with Grow Detroit Young Talent, a youth summer employment program.

"Some people around the neighborhood might not be able to access Wi-Fi at home and they could walk to the nearest park and use the Wi-Fi for free," Pasaye said, who teaches kids to play baseball and softball at Clark Park. "We've seen people who come play baseball use the charging station to charge their phones, especially moms who come with their kids."

"The Wi-Fi and charging is very useful. Some kids might not have access to Wi-Fi at home so they can come to us and we can use the WiFi and charging stations to contact their parents if they need help," Diaz said.

Signage about the free Wi-Fi zone will be placed in each park in the next several weeks alerting residents about the free service.

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana .

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 5 Detroit parks now offer free internet access, charging stations for devices