Weston School District moves forward with district‑wide digital radio upgrade
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Summary
The Safety & Security Committee reviewed a negotiated proposal from Norcom Connecticut to install repeaters and new digital radios across schools, buses and the bus depot; director Jim Wiltsie said the district expects installation and FCC licensing to begin after a purchase order, aiming for wide deployment by next school year.
The Weston School District Safety & Security Committee heard details Feb. 10 about a planned upgrade to the district’s radio infrastructure intended to improve emergency communications across schools, buses and the district’s bus depot.
Jim Wiltsie, the district’s director of safety and security, said he received an eight‑page proposal from Norcom Connecticut, negotiated line‑by‑line to remove vague “assumptions,” and is waiting for the vendor’s legal team to return a revised contract. “I wasn’t happy with a lot of it because it left us exposed,” Wiltsie said, adding that his priority is to “future proof” the investment so the system can be expanded later.
Wiltsie described a system of repeater antenna installations at each school that plug into the building data closets, a multi‑tiered radio fleet (high‑end Motorola ION devices with video for SROs and security staff, and lower‑level R5 and R7 units for other staff), and scheduled FCC licensing and equipment ordering once a purchase order is issued. He told the committee he expects initial work, including licensing and equipment procurement, to take 8–16 weeks and estimated a full district rollout by the start of the next school year.
Joe Michelli of the Weston Police Department said the new platform will be “more robust” and allow dispatchers to monitor security channels from their desktop; because police operate on an encrypted 800 MHz channel allocated by the state, school radios will not speak directly on that channel, but the two systems can be patched through the communication center to enable interoperability.
Wiltsie added the upgrade will include mobile and portable radios for buses and a dispatcher console at the bus depot, and noted the project was budgeted with funds already allocated in cooperation with district finance staff. He also reported a local benefactor: EMS donated about 10–15 still‑usable portable radios to the high school athletic department for field use.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the contract during the meeting; Wiltsie said he will return to staff and the district’s procurement process once the vendor’s legal updates are complete.