The City of Ellensburg announced on their Facebook page free Wi-Fi will now be available in certain locations for community use.

The post said the city was working together with CWU, Kittitas County and the Ellensburg School District (ESD) to provide free Wi-Fi via drive up access with hot spots.

A map was linked to show what areas have Wi-Fi available for users. All Ellensburg schools are a part of this new initiative along with other public areas for more widespread coverage. 

An announcement about an end date to the community Wi-Fi accessibility has not been made.

The City of Ellensburg wrote in their post that the intention is to provide access for those in the community who are in need of Wi-Fi to, “engage in online lessons, to access telehealth services, maintain connections with family and friends, and to be able to work remotely. Never has access to the internet for all been more critical than it is now.”

Students and families who don’t have reliable access to the internet now have a public and accessible avenue of connecting online to continue with work, schooling, and communicating with loved ones from afar.

The community Wi-Fi can also be found at the Upper Kittitas County District Court in Cle Elum for those in Kittitas County who aren’t near Ellensburg or are unable to travel there.

Those who are north of Helena Avenue have CWU and Mount Stuart Elementary as the closest places available to them, while those who are near downtown Ellensburg have many more options. The Stan Bassett Youth Center and Ellensburg Public Library are listed as additional community Wi-Fi locations.

CWU, though not listed on the website, has a public Wi-Fi network available to those who aren’t students of the university. Students are still able to access the private Wildcat network by using their CWU login credentials.

“Users are asked to practice social distancing by remaining in their cars during their visits to the hotspot areas,” the post said.