- Union approved nearly $15,300 for IT upgrades, including free public Wi-Fi at the new Town Square park.
- Commissioners discussed requiring users to register through a captive portal before accessing the network.
- City staff will explore registration options as construction continues toward the project’s expected 2027 completion.
The new park at the center of the Union Town Square project will provide free public Wi-Fi access for visitors.
On Aug. 3, the Union City Commission voted to approve spending $10,772 to install IT hardware in the new city building–which is currently under construction–as well as $4,452 to extend Wi-Fi service into the park, allowing visitors to access free public internet.
New Union City Administrator Paul Kremer said the Wi-Fi provides basic internet access rather than high-speed access, which he noted could be useful during public events at the park.
“We will have, part of the plan always is building Wi-Fi like we have here, but this includes options to put Wi-Fi into the public park: no password, just free internet there,” Kremer said. “Not high speed, the idea is a low- quality – just a basic level of service in the park.”
The Union Town Square project is a municipal and recreational complex under development at 2085 Brilliance Ave. Once finished, the square will feature a new city building housing Union’s administrative and legislative operations, a 16-acre public park with a splash pad, and a public performance space for hosting live events.
The city broke ground on the project in August 2025, with an expected completion date in early 2027. The work is being led by Florence-based Mark Spaulding Construction.
Commissioner Kimberly Tuyn asked Kremer if the users should be required to register through a captive portal before connecting to the Wi-Fi, enabling identification of users in the event local law enforcement requests network activity information.
“I’m just thinking in the event somebody ever comes to us and says, “Hey, we have some type of record of who accesses public Wi-Fi in your car,” we have some ability … Not that we’re monitoring it by any means, but I don’t see very often free Wi-Fi without some type of a registration mechanism to access it without a password,” Tuyn said.
Tuyn emphasized that she believed city officials would not actively monitor the registration logs, only accessing them if law enforcement specifically requested it.
It is now commonplace for free public Wi-Fi hotspots to require a login before connection. This prompts users to acknowledge or agree to rules regarding acceptable use, prohibited activities and liability limits.
Other Northern Kentucky municipalities already require captive portal registration for their free public Wi-Fi. The City of Covington’s “Covington Connect” mandates that new users register through a captive portal, where they must provide an email address and answer questions to access the free network.
Commissioner John Mefford, acting as Union’s mayor pro-tem during Mayor Larry Solomon’s absence, concurred with Tuyn’s comment.
“I think it’s worth looking into to see what kind of mechanisms would allow us just to be able to run a report and see who’s used it,” Mefford said.
Kremer and City Attorney Greg Voss said they would explore adding a captive portal registration option for the service.
