The City is looking at beefing up its internal security by approving a five-year term with a private security company.

Budgeted at up to $250,000 a year for the next five years council unanimously approved Convergint Technologies Ltd. as the security systems integrator contractor at the Monday, July 23 meeting.

Adam Homes, deputy CAO of infrastructure services, said the biggest component in the approved plan will be keycard access at various city facilities, such as the ones they have at City Hall.

“The other aspect we’re looking at is security cameras,” said Homes. “Not only installing them, but how do you monitor the security cameras? That’s more of a longer-term project, but this will be just starting that off.”

The cameras will be installed on city properties, such as the new Infrastructure Services Operations Centre and City Hall. Homes said at the new Operations Centre they will look out into the parking lot to provide some safety for people coming into or leaving work.

“Some of the issues they’ve had is in the parks,” said Homes. “You put up a video camera now, you could monitor the park, but you’d only be looking at that after you found the vandalism. So how do you monitor that in real time.”

There is a potential for working with partners on this front. The city has signed an agreement with Lakeland College to assist them in monitoring Bud Miller All Seasons Park while the city looks at upgrading its own security abilities.

Convergint scored the highest on the evaluation the city completed and also came in at the lowest tendered cost.

Convergint has a local full service office in Lloydminster and counts Lakeland College and the Prairie North Health Region among its clients.