Wallingford classrooms’ new tech: phone service

As published in the Record Journal on Sunday February 17, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

WALLINGFORD - The Town Council has approved bid waivers for a Board of Education plan to provide every classroom in town with outside phone service.

The waivers, approved Wednesday night, allow the school board to have Integrated Systems Services and Advanced Security Technologies upgrade school intercom systems and complete other security work. The board has existing contracts with both firms and School Superintendent Sal Menzo said “it would make little sense to go out to bid” again, because it would “potentially cost more money to go back out to bid on these systems.”

Plans to upgrade intercom systems have already been approved by the Board of Education and will be done by Integrated Systems Services. The work will cost just over $227,500, Menzo said.

Advanced Security Technologies will “address security issues and capabilities,” said Menzo. The Board of Education has yet to approve the project, which would cost about $175,500.

Menzo said he wanted to get both bid waivers from the Town Council because the two projects are “inextricably connected.”

Intercom updates will provide phone service to classrooms, said Randall Backus, director of information technology for the school district. The intercom system at Sheehan High School had already been updated because it was damaged during Hurricane Sandy.

With phone service in every classroom, teachers can “pick up the phone, get an outside line and dial 911 or any emergency number,” Backus said. Currently, the intercom system only allows classrooms to communicate with the main office.

Backus said the current intercom system is more than 10 years old.

The security and intercom updates are not reimbursable, Menzo said.

“We’re keeping track, and if there’s an opportunity to seek reimbursement based on legislation or findings locally in the state or federally, we’ll then take advantage of those opportunities,” he said.

Dickinson said the town is comfortable with the security updates as well, noting that the Purchasing Department reviewed both bid waivers before Wednesday’s Town Council meeting.

“There’s good rationale,” Dickinson said. “It’s been reviewed and has been found to be supportable.”