Select Board hears $40,000 estimate to protect Farley Building with temporary wireless alarm
August 10, 2026 | Hollis, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Fire Chief (S14) updated the board Aug. 10 on options to protect the unoccupied Farley Building and presented a recommendation for a modular, battery‑operated wireless alarm system (WES‑3) used on construction sites and in other mothballed buildings.
The chief said the system is modular, battery‑powered with roughly a three‑year battery life and can be reprogrammed and moved. He noted the building’s existing cellular communicator is a 24‑volt device and the WES‑3 requires upgrading to a 120‑volt cellular packet, which in practice would require leaving power on in the building and adding a cellular transmission unit. After a site walk‑through with the contractor and fire inspector, the contractor estimated the work “right around $40,000” and the chief said he believed the price should not exceed that amount.
Board members raised questions about RFP procedures for a project of that dollar amount, whether the town could use a preferred vendor list, the lifespan and maintainability of the devices, and possible funding sources such as the municipal building trust fund. The chief recommended the town use a known vendor experienced with these systems; staff reported the company is on the town’s preferred‑vendor list but said writing an RFP for a nonstandard, unoccupied building could produce widely varying bids.
No vote was taken; the board asked staff to identify funding sources and return with clarified costs and options before approving the work.
The chief said the system is modular, battery‑powered with roughly a three‑year battery life and can be reprogrammed and moved. He noted the building’s existing cellular communicator is a 24‑volt device and the WES‑3 requires upgrading to a 120‑volt cellular packet, which in practice would require leaving power on in the building and adding a cellular transmission unit. After a site walk‑through with the contractor and fire inspector, the contractor estimated the work “right around $40,000” and the chief said he believed the price should not exceed that amount.
Board members raised questions about RFP procedures for a project of that dollar amount, whether the town could use a preferred vendor list, the lifespan and maintainability of the devices, and possible funding sources such as the municipal building trust fund. The chief recommended the town use a known vendor experienced with these systems; staff reported the company is on the town’s preferred‑vendor list but said writing an RFP for a nonstandard, unoccupied building could produce widely varying bids.
No vote was taken; the board asked staff to identify funding sources and return with clarified costs and options before approving the work.
View the Full Meeting & All Its Details
This article offers just a summary. Unlock complete video, transcripts, and insights as a Founder Member.
✓
Watch full, unedited meeting videos
✓
Search every word spoken in unlimited transcripts
✓
AI summaries & real-time alerts (all government levels)
✓
Permanent access to expanding government content
30-day money-back guarantee
