BATTLE MOUNTAIN - The school district has two projects in the works that consist of the schools being implemented with new emergency systems and the computer server room being moved from Battle Mountain High School to Mary S. Black Elementary School, said Superintendent Jim Squibb.
On Jan. 4, when multiple pipes burst at Eleanor Lemaire Elementary School due to freezing temperatures and caused extensive damage, and then a week later pipes burst at the Austin Schools, it was discovered that the system to automatically notify emergency personnel was not working, said Squibb.
The emergency system was supposed to link the schools to the Lander County Sheriff's Office. Squibb said that as a result of emergency crews not being notified, an assessment was done of all the emergency systems in all of the school buildings and found that the systems were lacking.
The school district has contracted with Rex Moore, a company out of Reno, to fix the systems in all of the schools. The cost is being capped at $600,000, said Squibb.
The company is going to redesign and install emergency systems that will be up to code in all of the buildings. Most of the design work is done and installation began two weeks ago, said Squibb. It should take around six weeks.
As part of the five-year district maintenance plan, the school district is having the server room moved from its current location at the high school to a more spacious location at Mary S. Black Elementary School at an estimated cost of $60,000.
This is being done in anticipation of Mary S. Black eventually becoming the district office. The move will allow for better temperature control and more working space for IT employee, Darren Monteith.
The last motion by the Lander County School Board in March was to create a committee to handle the relocation of the server room. The committee is made up of school board member John Davis, Squibb and maintenance supervisor Gordon Hunt.
The committee consulted Oasis Online, out of Fallon, which is the company contracted for the school district's network services which include email and Internet. Squibb said he is hoping for the project to wrap up by the beginning of June.[[In-content Ad]]
