CIVIC BRIEFS

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Cast of survivors proves there is life after cancer diagnosis in ‘Menopause: The Musical,’ coming to the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre Sept. 24

First Posted: 11/7/2013 Wyoming Area faced a dilemma. What to do with the unsecured front entrance at the Secondary Center.
With so much violence targeted at schools over the past several years, Superintendent Raymond Bernardi was concerned.
Fast forward to today. A new custom exterior public entrance was installed that brings visitors directly into a secure lobby in the principal&#8217;s office. And the district saved a significant amount of cash by doing the work in-house.
Around the time of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012, a private company, SERAPH, which provides security problem solving, assessed the front door safety and determined it unsafe against perpetrators.
The security system in place at the time was a secretary stationed in the lobby who would buzz an individual into the school. Once inside, the guest would sign in.
&#8220;Once someone came in the door, they would have free access to the school which was a safety risk,&#8221; Bernardi said.
An estimate was obtained to make a secure and safe entrance at a cost of over $100,000.
&#8220;The school board &#8230; felt it was too costly, but we were still interested in securing the building,&#8221; Bernardi said. He then asked if it was feasible to do the project in-house.
&#8220;I went to (Wyoming Area&#8217;s Supervisor Buildings/Grounds) Frank Pugliese and (Maintenance Foreman) Michael Bugelholl to see if something could be done by our own crew and obviously done cheaper,&#8221; Bernardi said.
Both men agreed Bugelholl could do the job since he is trained as a master carpenter.
&#8220;I give them all the credit,&#8221; said Bernardi. &#8220;They came up with a plan and they blew out an existing window and retrofitted the area with a secure door. Bugelholl has great skill sets and, with assistance of the maintenance staff, they got the job done.&#8221;
Bugelholl knocked down an interior wall, added an interior door and counter with a secure glass system in a former office.
After paint, tile and the school&#8217;s original logo was painted on the wall by student Brittany Thomas, the project was competed at a cost of roughly $9,000.
The district applied for an Office of Safe School mini grant for just under $5,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Education which is currently pending.
&#8220;I came up with a plan after the original estimate of over $100,000 and I knew I could do it a lot cheaper. I knew we could do it up and they gave me the opportunity to do it,&#8221; Bugelholl said. The project lasted just three weeks.
Bernardi said he received positive feedback from the parents and staff.
&#8220;This was one of my goals, one of my initiatives, to secure the buildings for the safety of the students with all that&#8217;s happening with schools and the community and the world. This is something that&#8217;s needed in school districts,&#8221; concluded Bernardi.

The doors of protection