By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD – In a move by the Board of Education that is designed to provide better protection for students and staff members, a new security system will be installed at two locations in the Freehold Borough K-8 School District.
On July 7, the board approved the purchase of a WAVE Emergency Notification System for the Park Avenue complex, which houses the Park Avenue Elementary School and the Freehold Intermediate School, and for the Freehold Learning Center elementary school on Dutch Lane Road.
The cost of the system’s installation will be $28,406 – $15,675 for the Park Avenue complex and $12,731 for the Freehold Learning Center, according to the board.
Superintendent of Schools Rocco Tomazic said the WAVE system will place the schools in automatic lockdown and notify the Freehold Borough Police Department with the push of a button. The system is currently used at Freehold High School, which is part of the Freehold Regional High School District.
The WAVE Emergency Notification System will be installed by Service Works Inc. (SWI), which submitted a bid of $28,406. The district also received a bid from Securetech in the amount of $31,135.
Following a review of the proposals, Business Administrator Joseph Howe determined SWI could provide the services needed for the system’s installation, according to the board.
After approving the purchase of the security system, the board voted to request the approval of a capital reserve withdrawal for the costs of the security system’s purchase and installation.
In other business, the board approved a capital reserve withdrawal in the amount of $361,000 for the replacement and upgrade of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system in the cafeteria and kitchen of the Park Avenue complex. The board also authorized the use of $50,000 from the district’s cafeteria fund for the installation of a new HVAC system in the kitchen. According to Howe, there is currently no HVAC system in the kitchen.
The architectural firm of Fraytak Veisz Hopkins Duthie has estimated that the total cost of the cafeteria and kitchen HVAC systems will be $411,000. The exact cost of the project is not known at the present time.
“Now that the board has approved the beginning of the design phase of the project, our architect will prepare bid specifications and the project will be competitively bid, at which time the exact total cost of the project will become known,” Howe said after the meeting.
Fraytak Veisz Hopkins Duthie will provide architectural and engineering services for the installation, upgrade and replacement of the HVAC system in the Park Avenue complex cafeteria and kitchen. The firm will be paid up to $30,000 for its services.
And, the board awarded a $22,567 contract to Freehold Ford for the purchase of a 2016 Ford Transit Connect van. The van will be used for the transportation of food service items between district schools and to other locations as may be necessary for district purposes, according to the board.
A bid in the amount of $22,789 was received from All-American Ford for the van.
Following a review of the dealers’ proposals, Freehold Ford was determined to have the lowest responsible bid. The cost of the van will be appropriated from the district’s food services fund.
The 2016 Ford Transit Connect will replace a 2005 Chrysler Wagon which has been driven about 92,645 miles, according to the board. The board voted to trade in the Chrysler Wagon and to use the proceeds in the purchase of the Ford Transit Connect.
Finally, the board voted to award a contract to Rubberecycle LLC for playground resurfacing at the Park Avenue Complex at a cost of $42,253. The board voted to request the approval of a capital reserve withdrawal for the cost of the new playground surface.
