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Select Board agrees to upgrade alarms with cameras at town hall, library and museum; cost to be covered in this year’s budget
Summary
The board discussed and supported replacing older alarm panels in the Elkins Library and Elkins Museum with camera-equipped systems similar to a recent town-hall upgrade; total one-time cost was estimated at about $1,000 and board members said it can be absorbed in the current budget.
Select Board members reviewed a proposal to upgrade alarm systems at two historic buildings—the Elkins Library and the Elkins Museum—to camera-equipped panels like the one recently installed at town hall.
Why it matters: Board members said access to a camera stream when an alarm activates would let them determine whether a police dispatch is necessary and avoid unnecessary calls. Staff said the new system allows online review of a camera feed so contacts can see what triggered an alarm before dispatch decisions.
Cost and funding: Staff cited approximately $500 per building before any customer discount, and board discussion concluded the combined one-time cost would be about $1,000; members said the expense could be absorbed in this year’s budget. The board expressed support for proceeding and asked staff to pursue any available vendor discount for existing town customers.
Implementation: Staff will arrange the installations, coordinate any vendor discounts and absorb the cost in the current operating budget; the systems discussed are fixed, non-panning cameras with wide (fisheye) fields of view intended to allow a rapid visual check when an alarm occurs.
Ending: Board members noted the operational benefit of remote visual verification and supported moving forward with the upgrades and budget allocation for this fiscal year.
