Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Airport Security Tsa topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves TSA training‑room upgrades at Bishop airport; GSA to reimburse costs
Summary
County will award a contract to Sierra Security Systems to upgrade a leased TSA training room at the airport annex; the costs are to be reimbursed by the General Services Administration and require a small budget amendment.
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 7 authorized upgrades to a Transportation Security Administration training room located in the airport annex building and awarded the contract to Sierra Security Systems, a local contractor, with reimbursement to be provided by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).
Deputy Public Works Director Ashley Holmes explained the space is leased to TSA and has been underused because of network and security deficiencies. “This item before you today includes awarding the contract to Sierra Security for a hundred and $60,750,” Holmes said, adding that GSA will reimburse the county $185,000 to cover administrative expenses and staff time. Holmes said the bid came in higher than anticipated and the board was asked to approve a budget amendment increasing both expense and revenue by slightly over $10,000 to accommodate the award and administrative costs.
The nut graf: County staff said the improvements (electrical, data, door security and cameras) are driven by federal TSA physical security requirements and that the county is serving as the prime recipient of a GSA reimbursement for work in a county‑owned building.
Holmes described the scope as including electrical and data upgrades, door security modifications (keypad/scramble pad), security cameras and infrastructure to allow TSA to host trainings in the annex room rather than relying on laptops at the terminal. Holmes said most of the equipment and infrastructure could later be relocated to a new terminal when built.
A public commenter criticized TSA’s effectiveness and questioned spending federal funds on the agency; board members and staff responded that the project is federally reimbursed and that the county must approve work on its building to allow the improvements to proceed. Board members noted the upgrades will provide TSA with a secure, isolated network and training area that meets agency standards and that the county’s role is to facilitate work on a county‑owned facility leased by a federal agency.
The board approved the contract award to Sierra Security Systems and the associated GSA agreement and budget amendment.
