Fenton approves scanning contract for plans, defers photo conversion for re-bid
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Summary
Council approved a contract with HITS to scan public-works drawings (color for project A, black-and-white for project B) and asked staff to seek other bids for converting historical photos (project C).
The Fenton Board Committee voted on April 3 to move forward with a document-conversion contract and to defer the most costly portion — digitizing historic photos — for further review.
Staff said the city recently migrated records into a new Laserfiche system and wants more public-works drawings and documents scanned and indexed. June (public works) explained that funds originally budgeted for community development scanning are available to reallocate to Public Works. The contract from HITS was split into Project A (large-format drawings, with a color option), Project B (black-and-white large-format prints) and Project C (photos stored in boxes). Project C was the most expensive portion, and several board members suggested soliciting additional bids specifically for photo digitization because cheaper local options might exist.
Alderman Harrell moved to approve Project A in color and Project B as presented and to seek additional information on Project C; Alderman Brightshaft seconded the motion, which carried by voice vote. Committee members emphasized the value of preserving historical imagery but questioned whether Laserfiche was the appropriate, cost-effective repository for thousands of photos and suggested selecting a subset of notable images for public display instead of scanning every item.
Clarifying details discussed in the meeting: staff said photos represent a large portion of the bid (roughly half of the total price quoted for this scope), and that some photos may not be appropriate for public posting. Staff and aldermen asked for follow-up on options to receive high-resolution JPEGs for archival purposes and for the exact cost breakdown for color vs. black-and-white scans.
Next steps: staff will execute HITS for Project A (color) and Project B (black-and-white) and return with new bids and cost comparisons for Project C (photo conversion). The board asked staff to prioritize engineering and roadway plans that are frequently referenced by Public Works.
