Fort Oglethorpe to buy mobile data collection unit for water meters
Fort Oglethorpe officials have agreed to purchase a mobile data collection unit to help Public Utility crews read water meters at a faster pace.
During the Feb. 25 City Council meeting, Public Utilities Director Phil Parker explained how the mobile detector would help with the newly purchase water meters the department is currently installing throughout the city.
“As y’all know we purchased a large lot of radio read meters last year and have had an ongoing process of changing out all the city’s meters to the radio reads,” Parker said. “We’re at a point now where we have approximately 750 radio meters to change out, and then we should be right at 100-percent radios.”
The city purchased the newer meters last year to cut down on how long it takes to get all the reading documented, and enhance how accurate the readings would be. Now, Parker says the mobile collector with make read times even faster.
“What I’m requesting is to purchase a mobile data collector unit, which will include a laptop to be used by one crew to read all the meters in about half a day as opposed to the day and a half to two days that it takes right now with two crews,” Parker explained. “This equipment would be kept at City Hall and they would download the information into the laptop the same way that they do with the handhelds now, and then a crew would come and get the information or equipment and take it out to read meters.”
Parker says crews took the equipment for a test run that returned great results.
“When we tested it, we were able to read about 2,000 meters in about an hour, so it will speed up the process tremendously,” Parker said. “It is a budgeted item and the purchase would be from Delta Municipal Supply at a cost of $8,200.”
The board unanimously approved the purchase with a 5-0 vote.
Adam Cook is a general assignment reporter and covers the Walker-catoosa County area. He has been a reporter since 2009. He can be reached at The Catoosa County News office at 706-935-2621 and by email at Acook@catoosanews.com.