Board plans cameras and lights at skatepark; technical storage options discussed

The Parks Board said it will move forward with acquiring lights and cameras for the skateboard park and formed an ad hoc to oversee installation while the city determines electrical and IT capacity.

Kristen Hartman and board members said the board received approvals for lights and cameras as part of the council-funded package. Hartman proposed an ad hoc made up of herself, Becky Leach and Chris Bridges; she also asked student liaison Elton Rocky to provide input on lighting at the skateboard park. "Elton, I'm gonna kinda have you involved a little bit just from the lights perspective on the skateboard park," Hartman said.

Board and staff discussed camera technology and storage. Becky Leach explained the cameras the board is buying are similar to others in the community and record to a local hard drive (a wired, ring-style unit) that retains recordings for a set number of days and then records over older footage. Board members asked whether the city would host the recordings on a physical server or use cloud storage; staff said the city currently operates on physical servers but is evaluating cloud options and that hiring or assigning IT staff could influence camera choice.

Hartman said the board will wait to confirm electrical work until a new city staffer can possibly do the installation to avoid paying an electrician. The board did not award procurement contracts at the meeting.

Next steps: ad hoc to coordinate with Public Works and IT staff on camera model, electrical needs and storage approach; staff to confirm whether a city IT person can support device setup or whether an external electrician/installer is needed.