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LOCK HAVEN -- The City of Lock Haven is working to protect its major investments in Hoberman Park with the installation of cameras throughout the property.
At its meeting this week, council heard from Planner I Carter Simcox about this installation, which was completed earlier this month.
Simcox said seven cameras were installed throughout the park, including near its basketball court, pump track, skatepark, pavilions and restrooms.
"We have it pretty well covered," he said.
Simcox said the footage from these cameras are fed to the Lock Haven City Police Department's servers at City Hall.
He added the system has its own router, essentially, meaning recording will continue even in the event of a power outage.
"It will continue recording, which is very nice. And it will continue sending that feed to the police department," he said.
The cameras were installed by X-Pert Communications, Inc. at a total contracted cost of $33,116.04.
City Planner/Interim Manager Abbey Roberts said reported issues of crime such as vandalism lead to the installation.
"The City of Lock Haven has made tremendous investments in Hoberman Park since 2023, including a new skatepark, playground, multipurpose court and other amenities. This was done to promote safe spaces to play for the Lock Haven community," she said.
However, these new amenities were not being treated with respect.
"Acts of vandalism, fighting, and other incidents counteract the community's own goal of upgrading parks to ensure safe spaces to play, as identified in the 2021 comprehensive plan, Destination Lock Haven. As a result, security cameras were installed throughout the park," she said.
Roberts added the cameras are only accessed by the police department in response to reports of an incident, crime or act of vandalism and "are used to protect taxpayers' investments.
She said city staff have observed a lower number of users at the park since the installation.
"While this is disappointing, users who may have caused damage to the park are being deterred by the security cameras. We encourage those who respect the park and use the amenities how they are intended to be used to continue to spend time at Hoberman Park and enjoy everything it has to offer," she said.