School officials plan to revamp site in Norphlet

Rewiring, cameras needed before middle school opens

The Smackover-Norphlet School Board has approved work on the Norphlet campus about 10 miles north of El Dorado in preparation for the school district’s reorganization for the coming school year.

In years past, the district has had an elementary school on both the Smackover and Norphlet campuses. But earlier this year, the school board voted to turn Norphlet into a full middle school campus with fifth through eighth grade students. Meanwhile, kindergarten through fourth grades will be on the Smackover Elementary campus, and ninth through 12th grades will remain on the Smackover High School campus.

Due to this reorganization, the fire alarm and intercom systems will be rewired. The fire alarm system in the north and south wings of the Norphlet Elementary school will run into the middle school building and connect with that system.

The intercom system will only need to go into the network switch, which is already located in the same building, meaning the project is not expected to be as extensive.

The board approved that work without hesitation at a meeting Tuesday, but spent more time discussing two proposals on installing small security cameras at several locations at each campus.

The board also looked over a quote for adding a camera to what used to be the fifth- and sixth-grade playground. As part of the reorganization, the Smackover Preschool is going to move to the Norphlet campus and using that playground.

With the proposed playground camera and another proposal to add cameras in the old and new gym on the Norphlet campus, there would be no gaps in camera coverage on the campus. A second quote also looked at adding cameras to the Smackover gym and the athletic facility due to the school’s updated policy about public use of those facilities.

Both of the camera jobs were tabled by the board, which opted to spend more time looking to see if it’s something the school district could do on its own, which could potentially save around $10,000, said board member Damon Goodwin.

Jana Reynolds, Smackover-Norphlet administrative director of technology, said that when she was getting the quotes, she asked whether wiring the cameras was something the school district could do and was told that it would void the warranty on the equipment.

“I’ve questioned that,” she said.

Goodwin said the cameras are readily available. When asked about the necessity of the warranty, Reynolds said these would be the same cameras that are already being used at the schools and, besides one that was damaged out of the box, the school district has not needed to replace any since she’s been at the district.

Reynolds said her main concern with installing the cameras herself would be those that go in the gyms and athletic facility.

“That one at the elementary school isn’t that big of a deal [to install],” she said. “It mounts on the side of the building and goes right in there to the network switch. The ones in the gym, you’re talking about running conduit through there. … I’m not comfortable doing the gyms by myself. I don’t mind helping, I’m just not comfortable drilling the hole by myself.”

Board members asked if the district employs maintenance people who could help, and Reynolds said that could work.

The only other issue is timing. Reynolds said that if the district opts to install the cameras through in-house staff, it could be done by the start of school, but if the outside company were to do it then it probably wouldn’t be done in time for the August start date.