Council accepts $51,000 in donations to fund park Wi‑Fi and Sterling Fest

The Sterling Heights City Council voted to accept corporate sponsorships totaling $51,000 to support public Wi‑Fi in Dodge Park and programming for Sterling Fest. The donations acknowledged were: Christian Financial Credit Union ($15,000 Sterling Fest sponsorship plus a 10‑year $150,000 commitment toward city center connectivity), AT&T ($11,000 for the main stage) and Stellantis ($10,000 for the Midway), and additional amounts cited by staff that sum to $51,000 for 2025.

Kyle Langloit, the city's Parks and Recreation director, presented the donations and described the new secure Wi‑Fi network for the city center complex, including Dodge Park, saying, “this secure network will be fast and has been built to support the high levels of visitors to our park weekly and during events.” He said the system uses roughly 50 access points and can support thousands of users at concentrated events.

Laurie Doty, an AT&T representative, told council AT&T “invests billions of dollars…in our networks” and highlighted FirstNet support for first responders. Rebecca Monroe, chief marketing and growth officer for Christian Financial Credit Union, said the credit union invested in the community and supported the initiative.

Councilmember Mary Sierowski moved to acknowledge and accept the annual donations as presented; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The council invited sponsors for photos and thanked them for corporate support of festivals and park improvements. No further action was required.