Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board to compare alarm communications options after staff outlines higher phone-line costs
Summary
Springfield staff presented three alarm communications options with markedly different costs — continued phone lines with higher annual cost, a one-time install and annual fee for cell communicators, and a pending fiber quote — and the board deferred a decision until quotes can be compared.
At the May 12 meeting the Select Board reviewed options for the town’s alarm communications after staff reported rising phone-line expenses.
Tamara (staff) told the board that keeping the current phone lines would cost approximately $8,800 per year for seven lines plus an additional $1,400 per year for monitoring through Capital Alarm. A switch to cell communicators, Tamara said, would carry a one-time installation cost of $5,225 and an annual monitoring fee of $3,090. Tamara also said she had reached out to Fidium for a fiber quote but had not yet received figures; the board agreed to wait for that quote and compare all three options before deciding.
Board members inquired about security camera impacts; Tamara said the cameras operate over fiber and would not be affected by changing alarm communicators, and that recorded camera data is stored for approximately one month. The board left the matter for staff to obtain the missing fiber quote and return with a recommendation comparing reliability and total cost.
