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Date: 1/9/2024
BELCHERTOWN — The School Committee accepted a bid to upgrade Belchertown Public Schools’ security system during its Dec. 19 meeting.
Superintendent Brian Cameron said that the project went out to bid, and they received two applicants but one had to disqualify itself.
“After reviewing the bids, the Valley Communications single project limit as set by the Division of Capital Assessment Management and Maintenance is $458,000, so this project came in higher, so they disqualified themselves,” Cameron explained.
Valley Communications and Collins Electric were the two applicants.
Valley Communications bid came in at $495,000 and Collins Electric came in at $506,000.
Cameron said, “We are recommending that we go with Collins Electric. We have reviewed the references in previously completed project lists. They met all requirements. This was brought to [the] Finance and Budget Subcommittee, and they also approved it.”
Cameron added that the approval means the project could get started right away.
“The project has to be done by the end of the school year because of the grants needs to be spent by June 30th so this will done on vacations, after hours. It’s all schools including Jabish Brook Middle School because we don’t know what is going to happen there,” Cameron said.
Belchertown Public Schools is currently looking to build a new middle school but a special town election and special Town Meeting to see if the town will approve the project aren’t set to take place until June 17 and June 24, respectively.
Last year Belchertown was awarded $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds by the Select Board for the security cameras project.
Cameron added that Belchertown was also awarded $100,000 through the Safer Schools and Communities Initiative.
The Office of Grants and Research, in partnership with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, made available $2.9 million for school districts, educational collaboratives and charter schools to apply for one-time funding to enhance security for the safety of students and staff.
Cameron has said that upgrading current security system is a priority of his because the current system is nine years old and in need of upgrades to improve the safety for students.
Belchertown schools currently have an analog security system with their recordings sent to DVRs.
Cameron is looking to increase the imaging of the cameras by switching to IP cameras.
IP security cameras send their signal over a network, allowing greater information transfer than an analog signal sent to a DVR.
IP cameras can record at a higher resolution. When zooming in you would not create a blurry image but rather a very clear one according to Cameron.
The School Committee unanimously approved the project.