By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
CONNEAUT — Conneaut’s Port Authority has received $214,000 in U.S. Department of Homeland Security funds to improve lakefront security, officials said Friday.
The money, provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will be used to install additional surveillance cameras on port authority property, said Denver Spieldenner, chairman.
A half-dozen cameras already keep watch on selected areas of the lakefront, and the ARRA money will allow more to be installed, Spieldenner said.
ARRA provided $150 million through its Port Security Grant Program to protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism, as well as implement other awareness-related programs, according to a news release. A Port Clinton-based boat line was the only other Ohio entity to receive port security funding.
Efforts to receive the federal money began months ago, Spieldenner said.
“We applied earlier in the year,” he said. “It’s a long process. There’s a lot of paperwork.”
Bruce Chapman, port manager, handled the bulk of the application process, Spieldenner said.
The extra cameras will allow the authority to expand its watch over its lakefront holdings. Some of the cameras may be tied into the police department dispatching center, he said.
Authority members plan to consult with the Homeland Security Department on the placement of the cameras.
“We have to figure out who will do the work and where the cameras will be installed,” Spieldenner said. “They’ll walk us through the various steps.”
