A new security camera system is now in place at the Lee Beran Recreation Center — and has already caught its first would-be troublemaker.
“Last Saturday, one of our supervisors lost her keys,” Recreation Director Tom McEvoy told the recreation commission Monday. “We reviewed the digital recordings, found the kid who took them and told Mom and Dad. The kid denied it and denied it until the mom finally said ‘They got you on camera.’”
The keys turned out to have been thrown out of a car window on South Avenue and were retrieved from there.
The recreation center has 16 cameras, some indoor and some outdoor, that were installed by Stutler Technologies. Installation of the indoor cameras was finished in mid-September.
Warm words
McEvoy and recreation commission chair Roger Hartsook have asked the city to move a little faster on the heating system for the recreation center’s pool.
According to Hartsook, interim City Manager Mark McAnarney was apologetic about the delay. The city commission agreed to pay $62,550 toward a replacement system in March and the recreation commission agreed in May to pay the rest of the $279,000 price tag through bonds. But since then, little has happened.
“I made the comment (to McAnarney) that we’re doing 90 percent of this, so why is there a lag?” Hartsook said. “We’re losing our patience because we’ve committed financially to do it and every day we don’t do it, our natatorium suffers.”
In other discussion
• The old Soden’s Grove concession stand has been moved to Whittier Park where the girls softball games are played. McEvoy said he has been getting estimates for electrical and plumbing work in the park.
• The Soden’s Grove project is temporarily on hold while final plans and specifications are drawn up by the architectural firm Emig and Associates.
• Four people have been interviewed so far for the aquatics supervisor position, but three have since accepted positions elsewhere. Another interview is slated for Wednesday.
• The group for the recreation commission’s strategic planning process is still being pulled together. The first meeting has been set for 6 p.m. Nov. 9 at the recreation center. About 25 people have agreed to take part but another 20 or so are wanted.