Batesville police will bike while on duty, an automated external defibrillator will be used to revive heart attack victims at two sports facilities and a baseball grandstand will get spruced up. The city council voted Sept. 8 to use $14,759 in Belterra riverboat revenue-sharing funds on three projects.

An April-to-November bike patrol will be an asset to the city, Police Chief Stan Holt and Lt. Gandy Browning told Mayor Rick Fledderman and council members by letter. “It makes the officer more approachable by the public without car doors and windows forming a barrier between the officer and citizen, allowing for more informal interactions .... The bicycle will also attract children to officers, creating a learning situation for safe riding discussions.

“A bicycle also has access to areas that a car cannot go, such as trails, side yards and some alleys. This will broaden our patrol abilities, especially when it comes to pursuing suspects who are on foot. A bicycle is also less obtrusive and more low key than a patrol car.”

Holt said at the meeting, “I don't think you're going to find any negatives about the program.”

He and Browning observed bike patrol programs in Columbus and Rising Sun and said police on bicycles also can be found in LaPorte, Indianapolis, Lafayette and other Hoosier towns. They did more research by quizzing local avid cyclists Chaz Kaiser and Andy Gutzwiller.

Reaction was positive. Dr. Deb Mack said, “As a pediatrician, having so many young people who idolize police officers," when local children see police wearing helmets and practicing bike safety, "that's going to say a lot."

The officers proposed using $3,799 to purchase two bikes and all equipment (lightweight uniforms, two bike racks and receivers) for three officers, Browning and Patrolmen Blake Roope and Jamie Straber.

They noted the program “will undoubtedly have an immediate impact on our agency’s budget by reducing fuel consumption and maintenance costs of patrol vehicles.”

Public safety was the theme of another idea. Mack, a Batesville Soccer Club parent, said, “There is compelling evidence why it would be wise and prudent for our community to obtain” one AED for use at the Liberty Park ball field in the spring and summer and Bill Gillespie Soccer Park each fall.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States, killing 325,000 annually.” While most of those deaths are adults, children who have histories of myocarditis, toxin or drug exposure or congenital heart detects are at risk, according to the physician.

When Americans collapse due to cardiac arrest, an average of just 6 percent are saved. “In some communities, it's 2 percent.”

For these types of heart emergencies, time is of the essence. “A shock (from a defibrillator) within the first minute increases survival to 58 percent,” Mack reported. AED response within the first five minutes allows 30 to 50 percent to survive.

The likelihood of survival is low after 15 minutes elapse.

“We can do better ... with this device called an AED. It literally tells you what to do. If you can understand English, you can do an AED. The next time someone experiences a sudden collapse, I would like to have this proven effective, lifesaving device accessible to them,” she said.

Council members agreed to contribute $1,000 of the $1,187 cost of a Heartstart Trainer with the club funding the remainder, plus purchasing a better first aid kit and heating and cooling packs for injuries. Denise Johnson will train coaches and other volunteers on how to use the AED.

To paint the Liberty Park baseball grandstands and upgrade its roof and dugouts and the park garage will cost $9,960, the lowest of three estimates. “This is something the (park department) budget will not allow ... but that I fully support,” said the mayor.

Member Gene Lambert noted that now that bleacher seats have been contributed by Indianapolis’ Dome, "it's time we addressed the project as a whole. We've heard so many comments ... about the great shape (Liberty Park) is in.”

Handyman Unlimited, Batesville, was awarded the work.

Debbie Blank can be contacted at 812-934-4343, Ext. 113; or debbie.blank@ batesvilleheraldtribune.com.