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Keith County approves leased weather-station pilot with camera feeds; administrator to review agreement
Summary
The board authorized Highway Superintendent Thomas Wilburger to pursue a leased weather-station and camera pilot (recommended five sites) and directed legal review of the vendor agreement. The system is leased at roughly $3,100 per camera per year; a five-camera pilot was estimated at about $15,500 the first year.
Keith County commissioners on Nov. 5 approved moving forward with a leased weather-station and camera pilot intended to give road crews advance warning of ice and other hazardous road conditions.
Highway Superintendent Thomas Wilburger described a commercial, solar-powered weather-station package with cameras, pavement- and air-temperature sensors and an AI-driven dashboard that ‘‘trains itself on that area and that road to recognize ice, snow, water, any weather events’’ and can send on-demand images and alerts. Wilburger told the board the vendor quoted about $3,100 per camera per year and that a five-camera pilot would cost roughly $15,500 in its first year, with a six-unit option quoted at about $18,750.
Wilburger said the system is leased (the vendor retains the equipment) and includes cellular data, server storage of historic images and an API for county use. He told commissioners the stations take a picture every 20 minutes by default and can respond to a requested photo in three to four seconds; the camera has a defogger and heater to limit icing on the lens.
Commissioners discussed siting, data access and public availability. Wilburger said the county could host live imagery for authorized users (dispatch, fire chiefs, schools) and that the vendor’s model can share feeds automatically with neighboring agencies that subscribe. Several commissioners noted the potential to reduce unnecessary truck runs and save materials and fuel.
Commissioner Irvin moved to authorize Wilburger to proceed with negotiations and asked that county counsel review the vendor agreement; the motion, seconded by Commissioner Anderson, passed on a roll call of commissioners present.
Next steps: Wilburger will obtain the vendor agreement and send it to Randy for legal review; staff will return with a finalized contract or a recommended purchase plan before procurement or payment is made.
