By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
By the second half of 2021, Bowling Green Police Division officers are expected to be equipped with body cameras.
Mayor Mike Aspacher reported to City Council Monday evening that the police division had been successful getting a grant to help purchase the body camera equipment.
The city put $125,000 in the 2021 budget for the body cameras.
The grant awarded to the police division is $9,700, Chief Tony Hetrick said.
The system selected by the police division is the same as the dash camera system already used in BG police vehicles. Hetrick said the body camera system will cost close to $100,000, and then have annual costs of $25,000 to $40,000 for storage of the footage.
Body cameras have been on the Bowling Green Police Division’s wish list for some time, but the expense was prohibitive.
However, after the racial tensions of 2020, Aspacher said that body cams are a priority for him.
“They are important to me because the chief made it clear to me that they are important to him,” Aspacher said in November.
“We are working very hard to identify a way we could implement this as quickly as possible,” Aspacher said. “We are all in agreement there is great value in this.”
Also at Monday’s meeting, City Council approved two zoning changes, following public hearings about the issues. The first involves 2.76 acres of city-owned property at the northwest corner of East Wooster Street and Thurstin Avenue, where the city electric subdivision and fire station sit, plus a city parking lot on Manville Avenue, south of East Wooster Street.
The second area is 0.14 acres at 518 and 524 E. Wooster St., where Pita Pit, a vacant storefront, and a couple apartments are located.
Both areas will now be the first properties classified as Gateway zoning – which is intended to turn the area on East Wooster Street between BGSU and Enterprise Street into transformational “gateway” sites between campus and downtown.
The rezoning of the properties meets the recommendations of several planning efforts for the city, council member John Zanfardino said.
“I’m glad we’re getting started,” council member Rachel Phipps said.
“I think these are important next steps with what we want to do with the properties,” council member Greg Robinette said. “It’s another step in attracting development to our city.”
“All we need now is a developer,” Robinette said.
After the public hearing, City Planning Director Heather Sayler said there has been no interest expressed by developers for the sites. She noted that the pandemic has slowed down many development efforts.
“That’s definitely having an effect on it,” Sayler said.
