Troup County 911 adds lake buoys for 911 calls | News

TROUP COUNTY, GA - The 4th of July Celebration on Pyne (pronounced Pine) Road Park near LaGrange is an annual tradition in Troup County. Thousands of boaters take to the waters of West Point Lake to watch the fireworks from the water.  So many boats on the water can be treacherous, though.  “It’s dark and boaters are sometimes anxious to get back to shore after the fireworks and sometimes accidents can happen,” says Suzy Noles, Troup County’s 911 director.

Now, Troup’s 911 Center has a new tool to help with Lake calls.  911 maps are supported by the County’s Governmental Services/GIS (Geographic Information Systems) office.  “Lately we’ve been working to develop relationships with other GIS professionals in our region,” says GS/GIS manager Scott Turk.  One of the office’s GIS technicians, Andy Harper, was able to work with the local office for the US Army Corp of Engineers to acquire the buoy data.  “Andy immediately thought the buoys would be good information for the 911 to have when responding to boat calls for help,” said Turk. Enhancing and optimizing GIS maps for 911 operations is a prime mission for the office.  “We’re constantly looking for ways to improve our maps,” Turk said.

While some Buoys are lighted, all of the buoys have a unique ID number on them.  That same number is represented by a point on the GIS map-driven screens used by the 911 operators.  The Army Corp of Engineers and Department of Natural Resources will have boats on the lake.

Pyne Road Park is a County operated facility on US Army Corp conservation land surrounding West Point Lake. The Park features recreational facilities, boat ramps and camping grounds.  The Parks is located at 4481 Roanoke Road, LaGrange, GA 30240-8038.  Gates open at 2pm on Monday with entertainment and vendors. Admission is $10 per car. For more West Point Lake information, visit westpt.sam.usace.army.mil/.