Edmond City Council approved a $250,000 budget amendment for access and safety improvements at Arcadia Lake on Monday, Oct. 26. Council members also approved purchasing an $89,327.87 video camera system. Both measures passed 5-0, according to the city, KOCO reported.

The camera system alone would cost roughly $89,000, Mariah Carter, public information officer for the city of Edmond, told KOCO.

"It'll be a $250,000 budget amendment for accessibility improvements … and then also a roughly $89,000 improvement to our video camera system, a new video camera system to be implemented," Carter said.

The upgrades come months after a May 3 mass shooting at the lake's Scissortail Campground that killed an 18-year-old and injured others. Carter said the plans predated the shooting.

"This is actually something that has been in development long before the incident that happened in May," Carter told KOCO.

The council recommended moving forward with improvements identified in the master plan. At that session, the broader package of security upgrades was estimated at nearly $400,000, according to OKC Fox. The relationship between that figure and the current $250,000 amendment is not explained in available records.

At the September meeting, Arcadia Lake Manager Nicole Offutt described a "no pass back" feature in the gate software that would prevent a single access code from being reused by multiple vehicles, OKC Fox reported. The gates would integrate with the lake's existing reservation software, Camplife, and annual passes.

City Manager A.J. Krieger said the goal was to improve security while keeping access reasonable for residents and visitors, according to OKC Fox.

Mayor Mark Nash expressed support for a citywide camera standard at the September session, KOCO reported. Ward 4 Councilman Phil Fraim called the access controls "a great beginning solution," OKC Fox reported.

Jennifer Fields, chairwoman of the Arcadia Lake Commission, told OKC Fox the changes were a first step toward better after-hours control. Before the upgrades, after-hours entry relied on an honor box.

The Arcadia Lake Master Plan was adopted in 2023 and spans more than 15 years. Future phases call for improvements to bathrooms, boat and RV storage, and an equestrian camp, according to OKC Fox.