Board reviews camera and door-entry plan after live vendor demo; staff to seek competitive quotes

Lower Frederick Township supervisors spent significant time on June 16 reviewing a proposed security upgrade that would install cameras and door-access controls at the township building, public works, the sewer plant and pump stations. Staff said the work has appeared in the township CIP for several years and that the current internal budget totals $51,455 (cameras $33,000; door access $18,455).

A vendor walk-through from a firm working with Harris Technology and Vicata/Vicotta highlighted hardware and software features, including multi-sensor exterior cameras, remote live feeds, a web and mobile platform with search and archiving, face-blurring tools, and a 10-year hardware warranty. The Harris Technology quote produced at the meeting totaled about $35,291.32 for cameras; staff noted an estimated monthly data/storage charge of roughly $318 for cloud recording. A Harris door-entry quote was $14,361.75; key fobs (50) were quoted at $427.

Vendor Tyler (Vicata/Vicotta) demonstrated search and archive tools and said, “It is live,” confirming that supervisors could view a live feed and save clips with longer-term archived access for investigations. He also described vendor-provided training and next-day warranty replacement under the vendor warranty.

Questions from supervisors focused on: whether feeds would be centrally monitored (the vendor said authorized users would view live feeds via a command portal); how cameras would be powered (hardwired Cat6/POE with generator backup at critical sites); estimated ongoing carrier/SIM costs (vendor said costs could fall if the township uses an existing contract with a carrier); and whether maintenance or support agreements would be needed (the vendor said training and some updates are included, but maintenance agreements and on-call labor would be budgeted separately if requested).

Board direction and next steps: supervisors asked staff to obtain two additional quotes (Delco Solutions and at least one other) and return with a side-by-side comparison, more clarity on monthly operating charges and any ancillary costs (monitors, signage, mounting), and recommendations for user-access policies. No purchase authorization was made at the work session.

Budget note: staff said the current Harris camera quote slightly exceeds the cameras portion of the CIP; the door-entry quote is below its allocated budget. Supervisors reminded staff to confirm long-term hosting/retention costs as part of the full procurement package.