T-R PHOTO BY NICK BAUR
Amy Harmsen came before the Marshalltown School Board Monday seeking approval to disseminate a request for approval (RFP) for a security project at MHS.
A list of additional security measures are set to be implemented at Marshalltown High School after the School Board unanimously approved a request for proposal (RFP) for more cameras and door access safety systems during their regular meeting Monday.
Director of Technology Amy Harmsen came before the board to provide details about the upcoming project, which, as she said, mirrors a similar project previously completed at Miller Middle School. This would include adding additional cameras and replacing existing cameras.
“We talked a little bit about the additional cameras in the middle school, and how they’ve been pretty helpful in the ability to see things in the nooks and crannies,” Harmsen said. “What the request for proposal is asking for is more than what we did for Miller. It’s a bigger school, and the cameras are a little older even than what they were at Miller. So we are asking for about 25 new cameras.”
Harmsen also informed the board that the proposal would implement a “cloud connector” for all district surveillance cameras, which would integrate all district cameras and store footage in one local hub.
“This proposal would take all of our cameras in the whole district and make them be on one system, which was the goal all along,” Harmsen said. “I think that this is an affordable and effective way to do things, and it’s also very secure and user friendly.”
Additionally, the project will install a video intercom reader and cloud-based door access controller at the west entrance to the school on the doors facing north and on the east side entrance from the parking lot.
Video intercom readers operate by allowing individuals to verify the credentials of an entrant at the door through a video feed before granting them building access.
RFPs are business documents that announce a project, describe it, and solicit bids from qualified contractors to complete it. As the board merely approved the RFP, there is no stated cost for the project at this time.
Harmsen said she expects to have a proposal set for approval before the board in two weeks.
Following the approval of the RFP, Superintendent Theron Schutte introduced two agenda items relating to the Athletic Complex project currently underway.
The first concerned the construction of a shade structure by Boland Recreation, a Marshalltown-based outdoor recreation equipment provider, for the cost of $72,854.
“(For) the shade structure itself, we chose to seek quotes outside of the project because we knew there would be a local vendor that could provide it, similar to the tennis court,” Schutte said. “That’s going to be a nice plaza area that will be across from the existing concession stand but then also adjacent, if we’re fortunate to be able to get, a tornado safety room complex.”
The board unanimously approved the construction of the shade structure.
The second item from Schutte regarded contracting Terracon, an engineering company specializing in environmental and facilities consulting services, for soil testing and special inspection at the Athletic Complex.
“We had some preliminary soil testing done prior while we were developing preliminary cost estimates and design,” Schutte said. “Now we have to have more substantive soil testing done as we did on the tennis courts.”
As Schutte explained, the district received two bids for the project, and while Terracon was a “couple thousand dollars more than the other,” the company had worked previously with the district on similar grounds.
“The rationale for this says the difference in costs would not outweigh the benefit of having the same company that has been doing our soil testing, both for this stadium project, the tennis court project, [and] Roundhouse phase two. We’ve got some unique soil situations,” Schutte said. “It would be more beneficial to have someone that’s familiar with our site than to have someone come in from scratch and basically have to start over in their opinion.”
The board unanimously approved contracting with Terracon which will cost the district $34,476.
In other business, the board;
• Heard a presentation by Rogers Elementary Administration about ongoing education efforts at the school;
• Approved a $5,000 sign-on bonus for bilingual teaching positions in the Dual Language Program at Woodbury Elementary School;
• Moved the July regular board meeting from July 17 to July 10;
• Heard an update from Student School Board representatives;
• Fielded presentations for student and employee handbooks.
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Contact Nick Baur at 641-753-6611 or nbaur@timesrepublican.com.
