West Newsmagazine 6/3/15

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By MARY SHAPIRO
mshapiro@newsmagazinenetwork.com
Some Wildwood residents – especially
in Wards 1 and 6 – are expressing frustrations
to city officials over what they regard
as the slow pace of providing high-speed
Internet service to the rural western part of
the city.
During a work session on May 26, Joe
Vujnich, Wildwood’s director of planning
and parks, told the City Council that emails
over the last couple of weeks from residents
especially in those wards “have been
distressing on the number of complaints
in regard to frustrations and experiences”
with Bays ET and Wisper ISP.
He said the emails have protested poor
signal strength and service issues from
both providers.
“Some of the recipients of this service
are not satisfied and are seeking solutions
to the problems that plague this type of
wireless Internet signal in hilly, wooded
Wildwood,” Vujnich said.
The city has been working for eight years
to try to get service to the area and has
formed a Rural Internet Access Committee
to aid the effort.
Both Bays ET and Wisper ISP have
requested compensation from the city
recently for upgraded equipment to expand
their respective reaches of the current
network, but upgrades have been slow in
implementation and some new equipment
has been delayed, Vujnich said, adding that
the city won’t consider funding new equipment
until it has been tested in Wildwood.
“Bays ET is exploring another pole location
in the south half of the city, along with
potentially under-grounding fiber to these
tough remaining last mile locations in its
service network,” Vujnich said.
But he admitted that the extent of signal
penetration through the pole system,
erected using city funding, is not as great
as hoped.
“We estimate about 1,600 homes have
needed the service, and we’ve reached
more than 300 since October of 2013 –
that’s not a great rate,” he said.
He added that in certain locations, large
providers such as Charter and AT&T have
followed to provide service.
June 3, 2015
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE I NEWS I 15
Slow high-speed Internet service frustrates some in Wildwood
June
“We hoped to encourage competition in
the marketplace,” he said.
Councilmember Larry McGowen (Ward
1) recommended continuing to work with
Wisper and Bays.
“We need to keep our fingers crossed and
hope for the best,” he said.
Citing a possible improvement, Vujnich
added that the two companies might be able
to place equipment on St. Louis County
emergency management towers planned
for Babler State Park and the St. Louis
Community College-Wildwood campus.
MARKDOWNS
Hanamint • Winston • Tropitone • Woodard • Lloyd/Flanders • Brown Jordan
Public hearing brings
coal waste landfill
back into spotlight
In a public hearing that is expected to
last much of the day on Thursday, June
11, proposed changes to Franklin County’s
land use code regarding landfills will be
discussed.
Those changes have been approved by the
county’s Planning and Zoning Commission
with a recommendation that the matter be
passed along to the Franklin County Commission.
However, before the county commission
votes, a public hearing must be held
– giving residents with concerns regarding
the proposed changes and Ameren’s plans
for a 400-acre, 100-foot-tall coal combustion
waste (CCW) landfill in Labadie.
Members of the Labadie Environmental
Organization (LEO) are among those
scheduled to speak during the public hearing,
which will be held in the commission
chambers at the county government center,
400 E. Locust in Union, Missouri, beginning
at 9 a.m.
LEO representatives are scheduled to speak
from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Following a break
from 1:30-2:30 p.m., the general public will
have the opportunity to express their opinions
in support of or against the proposed changes.
Franklin County staff comments will run
from 9-9:30 a.m. and Ameren will have the
opportunity to address the commission from
9:30-11:30 a.m.
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