North Penn board approves door-hardware, electrical and security contracts and moves to replace asbestos monitor
Summary
At its Dec. 10 action meeting, the North Penn School District board approved a package of facilities contracts — including districtwide assembly-area door hardware, an electrical contract (single bid), and a Genetec security-platform migration — and moved to award asbestos monitoring to EnviroSure after the original low bidder withdrew over liability terms.
The North Penn School District board on Dec. 10 approved a series of facilities contracts and change orders that the administration said will standardize lockdown-capable hardware, migrate the district’s camera and card-access systems to a new software platform, and address HVAC and asbestos-monitoring work at schools.
Superintendent Dr. Bauer opened the facilities portion by asking the board to approve multiple change orders and contract awards and said they were recommended as presented. "I will start by recommending the items listed on the consent agenda," Dr. Bauer said when introducing several procurement items and personnel recommendations earlier in the meeting.
The board approved change-order work to Pen Builders Inc. ($34,997.52) and Burrow Construction Inc. ($11,375.24), and a Micomechanical Incorporated change order to adapt new heat-pump units to existing ductwork and soffit conditions at Penfield Middle School. Mr. Slaughter explained that the "door position on the newer units was changed" and that required modifications to transitional ductwork and soffits to make the units fit and function.
For a districtwide elementary-school security upgrade, the board awarded the general-contractor package to Kelly Brothers LLC for $524,000 to install standardized door hardware in large assembly areas (cafeterias, gyms, libraries) so those spaces can be secured in a lockdown. The electrical contract for that same project was awarded to SNS Electrical Services Inc. for $1,566,000; Mr. Slaughter confirmed the district received only one electrical bid and staff compared recent project pricing before recommending award.
The board also approved a $159,732 contract with Integrated Security Systems (ISS), procured through the Pepin cooperative, to migrate the district’s existing Siemens CPaaS camera and card-access systems to the Genetec software platform. Mr. Slaughter said the district conducted a roughly six-month evaluation of camera and card-access packages and "decided that the Genetec system would be best for the district moving forward." He noted the contract covers the software platform and integration; existing hardware will be reused.
On asbestos monitoring for the high-school project, the board voted to reject a prior approval of Tetra Tech after the firm sought to limit its contractual liability during purchase-order negotiation and withdrew its bid. The district then turned to the next lowest responsible bidder, EnviroSure LLC, and approved a $161,809 contract for asbestos and hazardous-materials monitoring.
The board approved these items by voice vote; the meeting record shows motions and seconded motions followed by "all in favor, say aye" and "motion carries," but individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.
Board members asked clarifying questions on procurement timelines and bid opportunity. When one board member asked how long bidding windows are open, Mr. Slaughter said the district typically allows 6–8 weeks depending on project size and that this project’s bid period was extended after questions from contractors, giving "over 2 months" for bids and walk-throughs.
The board also approved an amendment of $36,142 to a Johnson Controls Inc. chiller-repairs contract and approved other routine personnel and financial items during the meeting. The board set aside time after the meeting for a public introduction of the newly appointed North Penn High School assistant principal, Jamar Austin.
What happens next: the district will begin migrating the high school systems to the Genetec platform over the Christmas break and expects to phase additional schools onto the platform over time. The special meeting next Wednesday will include public interviews and the board will fill two vacant seats; committee assignments and calendar changes for 2026–27 were also finalized at the Dec. 10 action meeting.
All quotes and attributions in this article come from the Dec. 10 public meeting transcript of the North Penn School District board.
