New safety tech coming to SWCC

SWCC has moved to patch a gap in their security plan with the board’s approval Tuesday of a contract with Solutions Management Group for new safety technology.

In summer 2024, the board approved the purchase of school-safe radios as recommended by Creston Police Chief Paul Ver Meer. Updated cameras and access-controlled doors will now be added to the college’s list of safety precautions.

“Earlier this year, we had a work session where we presented some information from Solutions Management Group on some recommendations they had to provide better service for our visual video cameras throughout campus and our centers and also installing an access control system,” SWCC Vice President of Economic Development Wayne Pantini said. “We have since worked with them to revamp the schedule we’re doing so that over a three-year schedule, we will be implementing that and upgrading our camera system.”

Acquiring an access control system was approved by the board in August 2024 with the hope of moving from physical keys to key cards.

“Every student, faculty, staff, all have keys to all the buildings now, this is going to replace some of that layer of having an inventory of keys,” Pantini said. “We’ll be able to assign who will have access to certain buildings, and also we can program to have certain buildings shut down at certain hours.”

Rather than staff going to each building at closing hours to restrict building access, the doors will automatically lock at the specified time. Staff and students will then have to use key cards to get in.

Along with general safety, the new access control system will help in major events. Proof of the need of this change was seen during 2023’s swatting call.

“When our school system goes on lockdown, we also go on lockdown. The difference is, it takes us a good 10, 15 minutes to make sure all of our exterior building doors are locked in the current system,” Pantini said. “This new system will allow us to be able to program that we can lock down all the buildings at once. It helps to shrink that window of opportunity for someone to get in.”

The Creston Community School District already utilizes this system, and Ver Meer suggested SWCC follow suit in a meeting on school safety earlier in the year. “We’re trying to create more security for our campus students,” Pantini explained.

The contract brought forward by Solutions Management Group would begin July 1 and includes the leasing of all necessary equipment, maintenance and support on any items and assistance in replacement when needed. The cameras will have a seven-year lifespan, while the doors with the access control system will have a 10-year lifespan.

“We have approximately 300 cameras that we’re going to be replacing and then about 160 doors that will be replaced over that period,” Pantini said. “They will work with our staff on things that might need to be done with maintenance or if there are any issues.”

Pantini explained the monthly cost to the college will increase at first but should even out over time.

“We’re going from $6,617.54 up to the $10,887.17 for an increase in monthly costs,” Pantini said. “You’ll see that over time we’ll be replacing the video camera system with the new system that’s on there, so we’ll have to absorb that cost and actually have some savings over the period of time.”

Money used for the safety technology will be taken from the school’s OEPI fund.

Now approved, the improvements will start in Clarke County at the Osceola Center and ORBIT Center. Next will be SWCC’s Red Oak Center, then moving to the Creston campus with the Agriculture Sciences Center, the Transportation Training Center and the residence halls. Other buildings will be updates in later years.