The City
of Chanute has operated a fiber optic control network since
1984 for the benefit of critical electric operations for the
City’s Municipal Electric Department. That original network
was upgraded and expanded to form the core infrastructure
facilities of the community’s network in 2001. Network
participants are connected to extensions of this existing
core infrastructure.
•
The community’s network utilizes multiple communications
technologies; including fiber optics, broadband wireless,
and traditional data circuits leased from AT&T/SBC. The City
and AT&T/SBC have established an excellent working
relationship that is good for the community and other
portions of Southeastern Kansas, and are continuing to work
together toward a common goal.
• The network utilizes
high-speed broadband wireless links to “off-network” patrons
utilizing the tall structures at Ash Grove Cement to provide
exceptional network reliability. Ash Grove Cement donated
attachment space to support the City’s communications
network initiatives to serve public health and safety,
education, governmental and utility purposes.
• All of the schools and
administrative offices of USD 413 and the Neosho County
Community College are connected and benefiting from the
network’s capabilities and high performance. City government
offices and municipal utilities also utilize elements of the
network.
• Through the efforts of the
school district, community college, public library and City
government, Kan-ed provided technical support and grant
resources for the City to create this access point in
Chanute to help deliver the benefits and resources of the
state-wide network to the students, educators and
administrators in and around Chanute. The City of Chanute
serves as an aggregation point for the State-wide KAN-Ed
education and medical network. The City also serves as an
interconnection point for a local Internet Service Provider,
Midwest Connections, which delivers KAN-Ed services through
its wireless infrastructure to educational facilities
outside the City of Chanute.
•
Chanute has developed a co-location facility for educational
institution use in vacated space within a retired municipal
power plant, effectively extending the life of this historic
building. This space allows the schools, library and college
to share computing, staff and other resources maximizing the
value of these entities’ assets for the community.
Additional co-location spaces are available to support
businesses that require secure networking facilities
connected to the City’s network or off-site disaster
recovery capabilities.
• The City hopes to further
extend the utilization of the retired municipal power plant
building by creating a small business incubator and
technology innovation center. This development will help
establish new technology-based businesses within the City
and is expected to become a cornerstone in the City’s
economic development efforts for the region.
• Chanute has developed an
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to provide coordinated
interagency public safety and emergency management support
and monitored video-surveillance based security. This
Emergency Operations Center will serve as a backup facility
to the county’s 911 and central dispatch center in Erie,
Kansas. These sites are linked through a high speed
broadband wireless connection on the City’s network.
Additional critical municipal infrastructure sites will have
monitored video-surveillance equipment installed summer,
2006.
• The City’s free public access
Wi-Fi Hot Spot offers public Internet Access at the City’s
Memorial Building. In the summer of 2006, the City plans
include establishing additional Wi-Fi Hot Spots at four
municipal park green spaces and a future downtown theatre
complex. Additional infrastructure expansion includes
connections at the regional medical center and local
clinics, state agencies, each of the municipal water towers,
and throughout the City’s industrial park, and monitored
video surveillance security systems at several city-owned,
critical infrastructure sites.
• Current community network
participants include: Chanute Public School District USD
413, Neosho County Community College (both Chanute and
Ottawa Campuses), the County of Neosho County E911 and
central dispatch site, Kustom Signals, Kansas State Board of
Regents (Kan-ed), Midwest Connections, Ash Grove Cement,
Tri-Valley Developmental Services, Chanute Public Library,
City of Chanute governmental and public safety departments,
Chanute’s municipal utility departments, Chanute
Manufacturing, and Community National Bank (under contract).
A proposal providing aggregated fiber network access has
been submitted to the State of Kansas to support the State
Agencies’ offices located in Chanute (KDOT, Highway Patrol,
SRS, KCC, KDHE and other State agencies will benefit if the
proposal is accepted by the State).
