By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON, Maine — In an effort to make schools safer, video surveillance cameras will be installed in the near future for Houlton Elementary and Southside schools. The RSU 29 school board gave its approval Monday night to a plan that would position video cameras at the doorways to both schools and also create a remote door-locking system so that the two buildings can be secured during school hours.
Money for the project will come from the district’s capital reserve fund. Back in November, 2012, the school board OK’d taking $291,851 from the capital reserve fund for a number of projects in the district. One of those projects was replacing the gymnasium floor at HSS.
According to Superintendent Mike Hammer, instead of replacing the gym floor, the district was able to repair it, thus saving money. Since there are now leftover funds from that project, Hammer suggested the district could use that money to fund the video surveillance projects at HES and HSS.
Many school districts began looking to install automated door lock systems, and locking other doors to their buildings, after the Newtown, Conn. shootings on Dec. 14 when a gunman killed 20 children and six adults before taking his own life.
Houlton Southside School does not presently have a door-locking system installed, while Houlton Elementary has a manually locking door that requires someone in the main office to come open. A similar system is used in Wellington Elementary School in Monticello. Houlton Junior/Senior High School does not lock its doors, but does have video cameras.
“Right now, it’s very difficult to lock this (HHS) building down, so we want to get our cameras up to date here if at all possible,” Hammer said.
Hammer said the cost to finish upgrading the video equipment would be between $16,000-$20,000.
The district also plans to fill out a school security funding grant application offered by the state.
