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Parks board outlines capital plan, proposes camera purchases and equipment funding
Summary
Beaver County Parks and Recreation staff presented a capital improvement and budget plan that includes a pilot of movable solar cameras to deter vandalism, a $42,000 equipment placeholder to replace aging Kubotas, and project placeholders for park improvements and events.
Beaver County Parks and Recreation staff on April described a capital improvement plan and draft budget priorities that would fund new security cameras, equipment replacements and a series of park projects.
The board's director told members the department plans to pilot cloud-connected, solar-powered cameras at parks and campgrounds and will monitor their performance at Hawthorne before pursuing a broader rollout. "We had a game camera on the kiosk, and they took it off of there after they pushed it over," the director said, adding that a movable solar camera could prevent theft or capture vandals. A vendor quote for a single solar camera package was described as about $3,700 with recurring monthly service costs of roughly $300.
Why it matters: staff said recurring vandalism and kiosk damage at parks is a growing concern; officials proposed an equipment strategy that prioritizes movable cameras that do not require hard wiring and can be redeployed as needs shift.
The director presented placeholders for equipment and capital projects as staff continue to finalize numbers: about $42,000 for new equipment to phase out several high-hour Kubotas, $71,000 set aside for park improvements (down from $178,000 this year) and $47,000 for special events. Replacements under consideration include electric utility vehicles with multi-year warranties and Cushman trucks (a previous quote near $29,000).
Budget timing and uncertainty: staff said utility, liability and water costs remain uncertain and will be reconciled before finalizing budget figures. "We were pretty close on 66,000 last year. Mikayla and I will go back through the utility cost," the director said. The director told the board the department aims for a first budget reading in April and to vote by May if possible.
Smaller projects and maintenance needs included funding requests for storage at Fowler (estimated at $25,000 for a lean-to), additional water-bottle refill stations (~$5,000 each), mulch (~$4,000), split-rail repairs (~$3,000), and replacing photo-eye lighting controls with timers (~$1,000).
Formal actions: the board approved routine meeting minutes and a claims package earlier in the meeting; no formal vote on capital purchases or the equipment placeholders was recorded during this session.
Next step: staff will circulate more detailed budget numbers and proposals for board consideration ahead of the planned vote period.
