Mayor Donald Mason
- On Zanesville
“The City of Zanesville was a great 19th and early 20th century city. Our entrepreneurs and makers were some of the finest in the United States, and we built a reputation of being hard workers and getting the job done. As the 20th century wore on, Zanesville began to lose its way amidst an evolving economy buoyed by technology and innovation. As industries left and wages stagnated, we recognized the emergence of a new economy centered around broadband. Over the past few years, we’ve worked hard to advance our city by embracing initiatives like “Intelligent Communities” and “Next Century Cities” to build a new Zanesville; one that is ready for the 21st century.”
- On Next Century Cities
“The City of Zanesville recognizes that public sector collaboration between cities and agencies is a necessity, and is more important now than at any other time in our history. The public demands from us that we work together to prepare our community for the advances in tech that we see in today’s economy. “Next Century Cities” provides us that opportunity, and we couldn’t be prouder to partner with them to move our city forward.”
- What Zanesville is Working On
Over the past few years, the City of Zanesville has worked tirelessly to expand access to broadband and high speed internet in our community. We recognize that broadband is critical infrastructure, and promoting equal, affordable access to it must be a major priority. Knowing this, we have established an “intelligent community forum” (ICF) that is comprised of local officials working in business, government, education, and technology. This forum will provide our city with a foundation for technology and communication exploration, as well as tackling social and political challenges while enriching the quality of life in Zanesville. Alongside the ICF, we have invested in the arts, making Zanesville a regional center for creative engagement. In 2016, the city applied for a “cool and connected” federal grant, provided by the ARC, USEPA, and USDA and were awarded funds to move forward with the implementation of a downtown wifi network. Currently, the creation of the network is underway, and once completed, it will provide affordable, wireless broadband internet to residents of the immediate downtown area. It is our hope that with these new initiatives and projects, the City of Zanesville will continue to grow and develop into a community that is not only competitive, but also prosperous in the 21st century.
