By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Thirteen months ago, the USD 428 Board of Education approved the purchase of new Verkada security cameras at Great Bend High School for $202,000. At Monday's meeting, Assistant Superintendent John Popp announced it was time to do the same for Great Bend Middle School.
"We updated the high school last summer," he said. "It's time to update the middle school. We got quotes from Verkada directly, and then also a local vendor who is able to resell Verkada to us. This is the low bid at $106,391.86."
READ MORE: Board continues to look at camera options for GBHS
The district will be able to apply approximately $43,000 in grant funding toward the purchase. With work the district put in last year, this round of technology should be much easier for district staff.
"All of last summer, we put in the networking and the wiring and cables, so they'll just be able to cut a hole in the ceiling tile, pop the camera in, and plug it in. It should be much less of a project than it was last year. Those Verkada cameras are huge improvement over what our previous camera system was."
Last month, the board approved building repairs at the school, including $143,668 to replace the ceiling and lights in the middle wing of GBMS. Monday night, the board opted to change that project. New HVAC controls will make the building more efficient and the price tag on the updated project is approximately $8,000 less than originally approved.