Findlay to buy mobile police dispatch center

FINDLAY — Findlay's fifth round of capital improvement spending for the year includes $150,000 to replace the Findlay Police Department's mobile dispatch command center. Findlay City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on the legislation that would appropriate $856,000 in capital spending, including the new mobile center. Council will meet in regular session at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Findlay Municipal Building, 318 Dorney Plaza. All council meetings are open to the public and are livestreamed on the city's YouTube channel: Findlay Ohio. According to the city's capital budget, the mobile command center is used as the communication center during tactical and emergency situations. The current bumper-pull trailer is a 2001 model. The new trailer will also be a bumper-pull model and a similar length to the current trailer. The city's complete capital improvement budget is available online on its website: www.findlayohio.gov. Another $85,000 would be spent to replace the helmets and headset communications for the department's Emergency Response Team. Their current helmets are expired or about to expire, and the headsets are not compatible with newer helmets, according to the budget. The legislation also includes an $80,000 appropriation to install a "low-e radiant ceiling" at The Cube, 3430 N. Main St. According to the capital budget, there is no insulation in the ceiling of The Cube's ice arena. The ceiling will help with climate control of the large space, especially in the summer and winter months. This will help regulate the temperature in the building and lower overall heating and cooling costs. The appropriations also include an additional $260,000 towards the city's annual street resurfacing program. In all, Findlay is expected to spend about $2 million resurfacing streets this year. Council is also being asked to appropriate $210,000 towards the roundabout project planned for Lake Cascades Parkway at Western Avenue. In all, the project is expected to cost $1.8 million. The city expects to receive $1 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) in fiscal year 2027 towards its construction, according to the budget. The roundabout will solve problems with lines of sight at the intersection, making it safer, City Engineer Jeremy Kalb has said. Findlay has performed a traffic study for the intersection, and with the current traffic counts, it does not warrant a traffic signal. Council is also being asked to approve $1,000 in spending to begin design work on the Lima Avenue Resurfacing Project, set to begin next year. The project will resurface Lima Avenue from Carlin Street to Gray Street. In all, it is expected to cost about $521,440, with a grant from ODOT expected to cover most of the expense. The city's share, taken from capital improvement money, will be about $120,000. The legislation also includes a $70,000 appropriation from the city's water fund for the Hemphill Boulevard Waterline Replacement Project. In all, the project is expected to cost $300,000.