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Centre County committee approves $22,736 drone purchase for multi-department use
Summary
The Centre County Records Improvement Committee on April 28 unanimously approved purchasing a drone, accessories and batteries from Steel City Drones LLC for $22,736 to support GIS, tax assessment, emergency communications and other county functions; training funding remains unresolved.
The Centre County Records Improvement Committee voted unanimously April 28 to buy a drone, associated equipment and extra battery packs from Steel City Drones LLC for $22,736 to support multiple county departments.
Treasurer Colleen Kennedy moved to approve the purchase; Commissioner Steven Dershem seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Committee minutes record intended uses across GIS aerial flights, agricultural land preservation work, Tax Assessment gate-area assessments, Emergency Communications tower monitoring, the Commissioners’ Office for promotional videos, and Conservation District grant work and inspections.
Nick Barger, the county’s GIS representative, described the drone’s capabilities, saying the model can be fitted with optional night-vision and thermal sensors, carries a camera with an approximately quarter-mile zoom capability, and has an IP67 weather rating that allows operation in rain or snow. Barger said the drone could help keep aerial photographs current between full aerial flights.
Committee members asked about training and insurance. Barger said a quoted training package for five pilots would cost $7,400 and that training costs would likely come from the operating departments’ budgets, not the Records Improvement Fund; Deputy Administrator Natalie Corman said she would seek a legal opinion from the county solicitor about funding options. Barger said he would return with detailed quotes for training and insurance for Committee consideration.
Recorder of Deeds Joe Davidson expressed concern about delaying or reducing full aerial flights and suggested the drone be used to supplement, not replace, contractor-provided aerial imagery. Barger and Davidson discussed a possible six-year cadence for full aerial flights with interim drone flights to update imagery.
The Committee approved the purchase but did not authorize training or insurance expenditures from the Records Improvement Fund; those items will be presented to the Committee later with additional quotes and solicitor guidance.
