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Trustees discuss expanded pan-tilt-zoom camera system for Morgan Township park
Summary
Trustees heard a proposal to add pan-tilt-zoom and fixed cameras to the park, playground and parking areas to improve coverage and recording. The plan would expand the system from about 19 cameras toward 26, raise questions about power, storage and vendor sourcing (NDAA), and include an estimated $7,000 enclosure cost.
Chris Brooker presented a detailed proposal to expand and modernize Morgan Township’s security cameras around the fire station, community park, playground and parking areas, recommending pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras paired with fixed-mount cameras to allow automatic zooming to points of interest.
"What I'm proposing is a pan tilt zoom camera on the back side of the fire station...with a couple of fixed mount cameras that basically tell it, hey, I saw something over here. Go zoom in on this area and it'll automatically move," Brooker said, describing how side cameras would cue a PTZ to focus on activity.
Brooker and trustees discussed installation logistics: power and trenching to pole locations, whether to use solar with battery backup, and whether to run hard cabling versus a wireless radio link. He said the township currently operates about 19 cameras across its buildings and that adding the proposed units could bring the total "to 26ish." He noted a weatherproof enclosure for recording equipment would be a significant cost—about $7,000—and recommended a temperature‑controlled box with battery backup to preserve recordings during brief power interruptions.
Trustees and staff raised practical limits of fixed cameras at long range and the tradeoff between fixed 4K units and more expensive PTZs. Brooker explained that fixed cameras have a useful crisp range of roughly 100 feet and that PTZ units can zoom much farther: "They'll zoom in like 40 or 50x," he said, adding that the PTZ would likely be paired with fixed cameras that act as the "tattletales" to cue a zoom.
Other topics included night performance (PTZ infrared vs. color mode near building lighting), grounding and surge protection for pole mounts, and federal sourcing rules: Brooker mentioned recent non‑Chinese sourcing requirements (NDAA) for government purchases. He offered to return next month with formal pricing.
The trustees did not take a purchase vote at the meeting; Brooker said he would present firm quotes at the next meeting.
