Dougherty commissioners approve purchase of fire truck, courthouse equipment

ALBANY — A new fire tanker truck and temperature-monitoring camera system for the courthouse were among nearly $700,000 in purchases approved on Monday by the Dougherty County Commission.

The spending includes $27,245 for the camera system for the Dougherty County Judicial Building, which re-opened on a limited basis in June.

The camera system is capable of monitoring the temperature of up to 30 individuals per second as they enter the main entrance of the court building. It will allow court security personnel to determine whether an individual entering the building has an elevated temperature, which is one of the symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

The Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office requested the purchase of the temperature-monitoring camera equipment. A large system will cover the entrances used by the bulk of people entering the Judicial Building, while a small unit will cover the entrance used by sheriff’s office and court personnel.

The system for court personnel will check each person’s temperature at a kiosk during entry into the building.

Temperature checks are one of the protective measures put into place to prevent those infected with the novel coronavirus from entering the building. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a juror and other court personnel have tested positive for the virus.

Commissioners also approved a $198,449 renovation project for the downtown Turtle Grove Park. Improvements will include drainage updates, installation of a rubber flooring system and painting/coating of the turtles.

The third purchase approved was a 2021 fire tanker truck at a cost of $465,670 from vendor Ten-8 Fire & Safety Equipment of Georgia.

The commission purchased one pumper truck earlier this year.

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