Downtown Coos Bay might soon be known as a hotspot. At least that's what city officials are hoping.

Not only will the downtown wireless Internet zone be “online” in two weeks, but the Coos Bay City Council is continuing work on a sidewalk project that could entice tourists to mosey downtown.

Wi-Fi, which stands for wireless fidelity, will enable Internet users with wireless cards in their laptop computers, personal digital assistants or cell phones to browse on the Web without plugging into a phone or cable line. The technology will allow residents and tourists to check their e-mail while sipping lattés at local restaurants.

The city has been working with ORCA Communications to negotiate easements and potential locations for the wireless antennas. Antennas are to be installed on the former Surplus Center on Curtis Avenue, and the next antennae will be installed farther north, according to City Manager Scott McClure.

Once the hotspot is completely installed the wireless Internet signals will stretch from the Hub Building on Central Avenue to the corner of Curtis Avenue, and will be accessible inside downtown restaurants and cafes. That won't mean the work's done, however.

“It's useless if people don't know it's here,” said Councilor John Muenchrath.

Muenchrath wants the city to put up a sign alerting travelers that the wireless service is available. City staff haven't come up with an answer yet, as there are no designs or a timeline for when a sign could be installed.

Steve Doty, with the Public Works and Development Department, told councilors recently that the city can post informational signs along U.S. Highway 101 anywhere behind the curbs.

“I think if we're going to do something, we should do something fairly dramatic,” said Councilor Jeff McKeown.

But wireless Internet and signs aren't the only link councilors want to see in Coos Bay. They also are pushing forward with a plan to make it easy to wander to and from downtown, especially from the north side of Coos Bay.

Blazing a trail

The Timber Inn sidewalk project has been proposed to help pedestrians walk along the west side of 101 from the Red Lion Inn to the King's Table buffet, and lead into downtown. It's an idea that been discussed for some time, but the pedestrian walkway always has been considered a massively inconvenient and expensive project.

The project re-emerged during talks in February and May, when the Bay Area Flags and Flowers Committee and local landscape designer Mike Vaughan proposed pulling tourists from the “motel district” near the Red Lion and down the sidewalk into downtown.

According to McClure, the Oregon Department of Transportation surveyed the area and estimated it would cost about $170,000 to do a basic sidewalk along the highway. Vaughan contributed a decorative design at a meeting in May. His sidewalk concept included architecturally historical hand rails to mimic other historic buildings in downtown, but ODOT did not evaluate his design.

“Vaughan's design was in the ballpark of about $900,000,” McClure said. “But ODOT looked at cutting into the hill a bit higher than in Vaughan's plans. Over and above the retaining wall which isn't designed to hold weight. The basic sidewalk would end up without the decorative rails but it would fill the need.”

Councilors seemed interested in providing the sidewalk, with or without the stylized rails.

“I'd try and make it so we could upgrade it in the future to something more decorative,” Muenchrath said. “Let's not do something that prohibits what Vaughn designed - because that design would be really cool.”

Doty said that he wasn't sure ODOT would be willing to help with a project that required “over design” work.

“If we want anything like that, we'd probably have to do it ourselves,” he added.

Doty also told the councilors that although ODOT offered grants for roadway improvements, this project would not qualify. Doty explained that he was working with ODOT officials to see if the city could apply for a grant through ODOT's pedestrian fund - but all grants would require a match from the city, even if it's only 10 percent.

But working with or through ODOT's annual paving and improvement projects along 101 would help the city in the long run, McClure said Wednesday.

“They would manage the project and handle the designs, and it would be awesome savings for us. So it's looking pretty attractive,” he said.

If funding for the sidewalk project was found and ODOT's design approved, McClure said the city could begin construction sometime next year.

In other business, the council;

- awarded the bid for the Empire Boat Ramp Paving Project to LTM Inc. for $88,532; and

- the Coos Bay Urban Renewal Agency discussed expanding the urban renewal boundary.