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Committee approves $106,090 security gate system for Hammond High
Summary
The capital outlay committee approved a $106,090 low quote to install controlled-access gates at Hammond High School, paid from the school’s small capital outlay fund, to limit campus access during and outside school hours.
The capital outlay committee approved the low quote of $106,090 from JM Gate Operators to install controlled-access gates and a vehicle turnaround at Hammond High School, using the school’s small capital outlay funds. Committee members voted to adopt the administration’s recommendation; the transcript records the outcome as “motion carries.”
Committee members and school staff said the work is intended to reduce unsupervised access to the campus, improve morning carpool flow and help staff monitor who enters during school hours and on weekends. A school representative told the committee that the campus has roughly five entry points, including a main-office entrance, carpool entrances, two student entrances and a bus entrance, and that “right now…we can’t adequately secure the campus,” adding the gates would let staff “see who was getting into the building.”
Under the committee’s stated procedure, projects over $50,000 must come to capital outlay. The school’s small capital outlay account had a balance the administration reported as about $201,000, which the administrator said was sufficient to cover the $106,090 cost.
School staff described how the system would work: most gates would be closed outside set times, one entry would be available during arrival and dismissal for buses and carpool, and visitors would use a call/buzz system routed to the front office. The school representative said staff expect teachers and authorized personnel to use card or code access and that the front-office staff would receive and answer gate calls. The representative added the gates could help prevent people from driving onto campus to dump trash and reduce traffic conflicts during morning arrival.
The committee discussion included operational concerns about the front-office workload to handle gate buzz-ins during peak arrival times and questions about whether the system type would match gates already installed at other campuses. The transcript shows school staff suggested monitoring the system after installation and adjusting procedures if frequent buzz-ins strained office staff.
Action: the committee approved the low quote from JM Gate Operators to install gate access control and a turnaround at Hammond High School, funded from the school’s small capital outlay funds. The transcript records the motion as carried; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the provided transcript.
The committee moved on to other capital outlay items after the vote; committee members said they expect installation and operational details (such as card assignments, gate schedules and any adjustments for carpool) to be managed by school administration once the purchase is executed.
