Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Farley Building Security topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board hears $40,000 estimate to protect Farley Building with temporary wireless alarm
Summary
Fire chief presented a modular wireless alarm option (WES‑3) for the unoccupied Farley Building, estimated near $40,000 including cellular upgrade; board discussed funding sources and opted to research financing before taking action.
Fire Chief (S14) updated the board Aug. 10 on options to protect the unoccupied Farley Building and presented a recommendation for a modular, battery‑operated wireless alarm system (WES‑3) used on construction sites and in other mothballed buildings.
The chief said the system is modular, battery‑powered with roughly a three‑year battery life and can be reprogrammed and moved. He noted the building’s existing cellular communicator is a 24‑volt device and the WES‑3 requires upgrading to a 120‑volt cellular packet, which in practice would require leaving power on in the building and adding a cellular transmission unit. After a site walk‑through with the contractor and fire inspector, the contractor estimated the work “right around $40,000” and the chief said he believed the price should not exceed that amount.
Board members raised questions about RFP procedures for a project of that dollar amount, whether the town could use a preferred vendor list, the lifespan and maintainability of the devices, and possible funding sources such as the municipal building trust fund. The chief recommended the town use a known vendor experienced with these systems; staff reported the company is on the town’s preferred‑vendor list but said writing an RFP for a nonstandard, unoccupied building could produce widely varying bids.
No vote was taken; the board asked staff to identify funding sources and return with clarified costs and options before approving the work.
