Columbus has approved a contract with a cable company to provide a video feed for cameras installed at three intersections that will be used to alert first responders about oncoming trains.
The Columbus Board of Works on Tuesday approved a three-year agreement with Comcast, which will provide a video feed to the Bartholomew County Emergency Operations Center.
Under the agreement with Comcast that begins July 1, the city will pay a monthly fee of $109.85 for each camera and a one-time installation fee of $199 per camera. The motion-activated cameras are expected to be activated in about four to six weeks, said Heather Pope, city redevelopment director.
The city hired Security Pros to install three cameras for $16,834.50 at County Road 950S in Jonesville, the intersection of County Road 450S and State Road 11, and the State Roads 46 and 11 intersection, Pope said. The cost of the cameras was paid for with tax increment financing funds from the Central TIF District, she added.
The Emergency Operations Center will be able to alert emergency responders of oncoming trains through the areas, which will allow agencies to use alternate routes in emergency situations, Pope said.
Mayor Jim Lienhoop said train delays in Columbus are expected once construction work on a new Flat Rock River railroad bridge is completed sometime this fall.
“The train is a new variable for us and we’re trying to manage it,” Lienhoop said.
A $30 million overpass will be constructed at the State Roads 46 and 11 intersection to deal with a projected increase in train traffic through Columbus. The state has agreed to pick up half of the cost, while the remainder is being picked up by the city, Bartholomew County, Cummins Inc. and the Louisville & Indiana and CSX railroads.
The Columbus Board of Works on Tuesday also approved a memorandum of understanding between the city and Bartholomew County related to the maintenance of the three motion-activated cameras.
Under the agreement, the city will be responsible for paying monthly Comcast and one-time fees, along with paying repair fees related to weather damage or vandalism once warranties have expired. Bartholomew County will pick up all information technology responsibilities in providing camera feeds to dispatchers at the Emergency Operations Center, according to the agreement.
The Bartholomew County Commissioners are expected to be presented with the memorandum of understanding during its July 2 meeting, Pope said.
In other business
The city also approved a contract for $2.1 million with Milestone Contractors for the first phase of its street overlay program.
The first phase, which is expected to begin in late July or early August, will bring street improvements to more than seven miles of roads in Columbus.
