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WILKES-BARRE — The city still plans to take control of the 260-camera surveillance system built with government funds, but is waiting until the latest grant is spent.

Wilkes-Barre last year was awarded $600,000 from the Local Share Account of gambling revenues from the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino to upgrade the system operated by Hawkeye Security Solutions. Wilkes-Barre Administrator Greg Barrouk, who also sits on the Hawkeye board, said approximately three fourths of the total has been used up.

“Once that’s done we will continue forward with the handing over of the cameras to the city,” Barrouk said earlier this week. On Thursday he estimated the funding will be spend within 30 days.

Talk of dissolving the non-profit corporation that oversees the citywide system first surfaced almost two years ago when revenue became an issue.

In 2013 the Wilkes-Barre Area School District decided against renewing multi-year $270,000 contract. The Wilkes-Barre Parking Authority also chose to end its $300,000, three-year contract, but reversed its decision and proceeded with an annual $100,000 contracts. Once Hawkeye disbands, the city would assume the Parking Authority’s contract.

Hawkeye’s board approved hiring Kingston attorney John Aciukewicz to advise it on a dissolution and the accounting firm of Parente Beard to prepare financial documents.

“We had to get all the tax issues resolved,” Barrouk said, providing an update on the process.

Half of the latest grant will pay Frontier Communications Corp. for use of the city-wide network built for the system, Barrouk said. The cost covers a five-year period that began on Jan. 1 of this year year. The other $300,000 will be used for upgrades to the existing cameras and the control center containing video monitors in the Wilkes-Barre Police Department headquarters.

The city received two $1 million Local Share Account grants in 2008 and 2009 for the network and another $700,000 in federal funds for the system that went into service in February 2010. The city owns half of the approximate 260 cameras in the system and provides trouble shooting through its information technology department.

With a bank of monitors behind him Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton provided a first-year status report in January 2011 of the citywide surveillance system operated by Hawkeye Security Solutions in the control room at police headquarters.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_hawkeye01-1-1.jpg.optimal.jpgWith a bank of monitors behind him Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton provided a first-year status report in January 2011 of the citywide surveillance system operated by Hawkeye Security Solutions in the control room at police headquarters.

By Jerry Lynott

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Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLNews