Future college students could flock to downtown Griffin to use their laptops if the city of Griffin succeeds in getting a grant to establish a Wi-Fi system.

According to a summary provided to the Griffin Board of Commissioners by city of Griffin Special Projects Coordinator Vicki Hyatt, the installation of Wi-Fi transmitters — and applying to the state to help pay for them — was one of the recommendations of the city of Griffin Town Center Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) Study.

“Wireless broadband networks will play a critical role in enabling Georgia citizens to improve their lives through technology,” the report reads. “The primary objective of Wireless Downtown Griffin is to recruit a private business to build, own and operate an economically self-sustaining wireless network that will provide free, street-level Internet access to citizens and businesses in the Downtown Development Authority area.”

The proposed network would also provide wireless Internet services to local and state government agencies.

The total cost for constructing the wireless network will be $150,000. The city is seeking the Wireless Communities Georgia Grant, which is offered by the state of Georgia and the Georgia Technology Authority, to help defray the costs of the project.

“We have asked for $150,000 and it’s a 50 percent match,” Hyatt said.

The grant will cover 50 percent of the construction cost, or $75,000.

Director of Planning and Development Services Frederick Gardiner said establishing a wireless network in the area under the aegis of the Downtown Development Authority would play a major role in helping revitalize downtown Griffin.

“I think that this would help attract college students to downtown,” he said, citing the growth of University of Georgia-Griffin and Griffin Technical College.

Not only would college students come downtown, but local high school students who have their own computers would as well. The two student populations, he said, could help revitalize downtown and make it more lively. According to the report to the city, Griffin Tech and UGA-Griffin could also provide technical assistance if needed.

Griffin Board of Commissioners member Dick Morrow also supports the measure.

“It’s my understanding that this Wi-Fi capability is a very important component of today’s business world,” he said. “The grant that we applied for will give us that capability in our downtown area, which should help promote business in that area.”

He later added that the plan would be “another building block in the redevelopment of the central city.”

In addition to the Wireless Communities Georgia grant, the city will seek funds from One Georgia Authority BRIDGE and the State of Georgia Entrepreneur Friendly Implementation Fund.

Whether the Georgia Technology Authority approves the grant request will be known in November. According to the schedule, a private contractor will be chosen by March 2008, additional funding for fiscal year 2009 will be secured by May and construction should begin in July.