Crown Point, Indiana — With the city’s showcase Sportsplex nearing completion, just in time for two major baseball tournaments with almost 260 teams coming to town this week, the city’s Redevelopment Commission approved funding for a camera security system to keep an eye on it.

Adam Graper, the city’s media/information technology director, spoke to the commission at its recent meeting asking for $26,150 to cover the installation of 20 cameras and the recorders and other equipment needed to set up the surveillance system.

Graper said the system could be expanded to a total of 32 cameras at a cost of $700 per camera in the future. The park is equipped with the fiber optic network needed to feed the cameras’ video to the police, and Graper said a feed to the parks director could be included to help the department respond to needs at the complex.

The city’s insurance has deductibles of $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the type of incident, and the city hopes to use the videos to catch anyone damaging the park so it can recover the cost of the repairs.

Commission Member Mark Schweitzer asked if the cameras would cover the intersection at the entrance to the Sportsplex, and Graper said that would be part of the expansion of the surveillance.

Led by Schweitzer, the commission decided it would be best to proceed with the funding for the full 32 cameras now, approving a total of $36,400 for the project.