District facilities chief proposes $41,500 fire-alarm replacement; elevator issues remain separate

Maintenance staff told the board on Dec. 8 that the administration building’s fire-alarm system is out of date and not code-compliant and asked the committee to approve a replacement funded from capital reserves.

Mister Haynes said investigators discovered a persistent beeping and determined the alarm system ‘‘is out of date and out of compliance,’’ so the district plans to replace the system at an approximate cost of $41,500. He said the replacement would integrate with existing systems and come from capital funds, and he asked the board for approval to begin work on the project.

Board members asked whether the alarm work was connected to a previously reported elevator problem; Haynes said the two issues are unrelated. He described the elevator as original to the building, difficult to source parts for and subject to union constraints that limit which contractors can perform work. The administration said it is soliciting bids and quotes to repair or replace the elevator motor or components.

Haynes characterized the alarm cost as ‘‘not a whole lot of money’’ in the context of capital projects and said the work would tie in with other systems in the building. The presentation did not include a formal motion or recorded vote in the public record; the item was presented for board consideration with funding identified as capital.

Board members did not record a formal approval in the transcript and asked follow-up questions about contractor selection and the elevator timeline. The facilities team said it will return with bids and additional details for board action.