Bay County, MI, supervisor of buildings and grounds, gestures to where a camera will likely be installed on the Incident Command Center at the Bay County fairgrounds. Aging equipment and recent theft have led county officials to seek funding for new security cameras in two parts of the Bay County Fairgrounds complex.

Debra Russell, director of administrative services for Bay County, said officials are seeking a grant to help install a total of 11 digital security cameras at the fairgrounds’ campus.

If the county can secure funding, two cameras are to be installed at the fairground’s Incident Command Center near the north edge of the area, as well as nine cameras at Bay County Animal Control, which is located on the fairground’s property.

"Our goal is to be proactive. We have a responsibility to the people we serve and the customers utilizing our facilities, and we want to eliminate risk where we can," Russell said. "This is an opportunity to do that."

All told, the project is estimated to cost nearly $11,000. Bay County is seeking a matching grant from its insurance carrier, Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority, that would cover half those costs, leaving the county’s share at about $5,500.

Besides cameras, the grants will also cover requisite DVR equipment.

The project has ties to both recent crime and aging equipment. At Bay County Animal Control, cameras currently in place rely on a VHS tape recordings.