County to look at camera upgrades at courthouse
At a the Taylor County Buildings, Grounds and Parks Committee meeting on Wednesday, committee members discussed the benefits of looking into upgrading the cameras that keep watch over the courthouse parking lot.
“I had my truck backed into out here,” said committee member Jim Gebauer. “I was wondering if more cameras would be possible out here in the parking lot.' “Anything is possible, with the right money,” replied Director of Buildings, Grounds and Parks Joe Svejda.
Svejda went on to explain that not everyone at the county is authorized to access the cameras, and those who can access them are limited based on their need. For example, Svejda has access to the cameras that view the parking lot and the perimeter of the courthouse, but not the cameras in the jail as that does not pertain to his job duties.
Svejda explained that if someone uses a camera to zoom in on a particular incident outside in the parking lot, but doesn’t return that camera to allow it to view more of the area, then it will continue to record zoomed in and miss anything else that it could have potentially recorded. It appears as though resolution may also be a concern.
“We’ve all had our vehicles hit,” said county clerk Andria Farrand.
Farrand also reported that the county has had O2 sensors stolen off county vehicles at least three times.
“They work, there’s cameras watching the parking lot,” said Svejda. “They actually do cover the entire parking lot, it’s just what they pick up though.”
Svejda agreed to talk to the company that maintains the current system about possibly upgrading to something that will better sense motion and scan through the data to find a particular vehicle or person if needed.
The committee also heard from Svejda regarding job descriptions for seasonal workers at the Winter Sports Area. Svejda stated that, until recently, it hasn’t really been necessary for those positions to require a signature on a job description, but that it helps the staff to know who is responsible for what.
“Nothing is changing as far as pay or what’s been going on in the past, it’s just a formality now,” said Svejda.
The job description for the first responder at the Winter Sports Area states that the individual should be able to perform CPR and use an AED (automated external defibrillator) when necessary. Svejda stated that he believes about three of the workers at the sports area are CPR certified.
“We’re looking to open this weekend,” said Svejda of the Winter Sports Area. He also reported that the sports area is already being booked for events, especially with the snowshoe race taking place this coming weekend.
The committee voted to send the job descriptions to the personnel committee.
In other business, the committee:
• Voted to allow a verbal agreement with the Medford school district to utilize the USDA center as a secondary evacuation location in the event of an emergency.
• Heard report from Svejda that the fire alarm system in the courthouse continues to require maintenance as it was shut down last week to replace a panel and initiating devices such as smoke and heat detectors. The system is still non-operational and will likely continue to be so throughout the week.
• Heard from Svejda that plumbers will be coming in to repair a toilet on the third floor of the courthouse which will require removal of some of the flooring.
