|
As we have previously communicated in newsletters, in the recent email from our GCA President, and at the 2022 Annual Meeting, your GCA Board has approved a comprehensive upgrade to our gatehouse security systems.
The Board recently signed the contract with Securitas, our gatehouse guarding contractor, for this upgrade and we expect installation, integration, and cutover of these systems in 2022. We think it timely to start communicating more details of this upgrade.
We hope you take some time to read through the following paragraphs and watch for further communications in the coming weeks.
Current State of Glenmore Security
Overall, Glenmore residents should feel good about their safety and security as we have a low overall incidence of crime in the community. Most of the incidents we experience are related to property crime (eg vehicle break-ins, vandalism, etc.) and pedestrian safety (eg speeding, etc.).
That said, the Security Committee is constantly assessing our security and making recommendations for improvements driven by your comments to the Gatehouse staff and at our community meetings.
Why is a Security Upgrade Necessary?
Our gatehouse is our most visible and proactive element of GCA’s multi-layered security. For Glenmore to continue to deter more frequent or more severe criminal activity, it is imperative that our gatehouse continue providing proactive, comprehensive, and secure vehicle access to our community. Glenmore’s gatehouse security will be improved in these ways:
- As many of you remind us, access to our community through our left-side visitor/contractor gate needs to be strengthened.
- The security industry has greatly improved video surveillance technologies in a number of ways that could benefit Glenmore.
- The failure rate for our right-side resident gate is increasing and action is needed to maintain highly reliable and rapid access for our residents.
- It is timely for us to migrate the support and maintenance of our gatehouse systems away from a resident volunteer to a qualified professional contractor.
Some of the improvements we expect will include:
- the ability to record and time-stamp all events experienced at the gatehouse
- improvement in surveillance camera image quality, resolution, and performance in low-light environments
- improvement in the storage, management, and ability to search video surveillance images; and
- cutting-edge algorithms that allow cross-camera and multi-camera analytics to better detect, classify, and report more challenging security situations.
The Security Committee met with multiple security companies and developed a comprehensive upgrade of our systems. After discussing and getting detailed quotes from three such companies, the Security Committee recommended that GCA contract with Securitas to perform the upgrade.
So, What’s Going to Happen?
One of the more visible changes will be that we have a different gatehouse web-based application with which you will authorize license plates, visitors, contractors, deliveries, and such. We will provide you with guidance and training on transferring your account details to the new system. This should be a one-time activity in advance of physical installation activities at the gatehouse. The Security Committee is assessing whether to implement an annual revalidation of your authorized access permissions.
We are planning most of the changes to occur outside of your direct visibility. That said, you can expect the following physical changes in the areas around the gatehouse:
- The existing video surveillance cameras will be replaced and new ones will be installed.
- Camera wiring and associated underground conduits will be tested and repaired, replaced, or installed as needed.
- A new intercom box will be installed on left-side visitor/contractor lane to facilitate future visitor access management.
- The PCs, printers, camera recording, access management, and gate control systems inside the gatehouse will be replaced.
Much will continue like today.
- You will go online using a computer, tablet, or a smart phone to set up and use the new access system to authorize your vehicles, visitors, etc.
- Video feeds from the new cameras will be established to the new recording, analytics, and event detection systems.
- The right-side resident’s gate will continue to operate much as it does today.
- The Security Committee and our guards will begin implanting new security measures to strengthen entry access through our left-side visitor/contractor lane.
- Our exit lane(s) will continue to function as they do today.
Except for a few days when we install and “cutover” the systems, we do not expect you to see many changes at the gatehouse.
When?
Our Security Committee and Securitas are still finalizing details including a detailed schedule. We don’t expect installation and cutover until middle to late summer this year.
How Will This Impact Us?
This upgrade should be mostly transparent to you. You can expect to receive information about the new online access system with specific guidance and training on entering a new account for your household. As our contractor installs the new systems, there could be minor issues, impacts, and delays but be assured that the Security Committee and Securitas will work to resolve them as quickly as possible.
What is Your Role in the Change Over?
We ask your patience and cooperation:
- Please keep aware of our activities as we communicate them.
- Please take the training as we offer.
- Please input and update your household account on the new access control system, when offered.
Finally, please recognize that we are taking these steps on your behalf to strengthen the security of our entire community.
We will be sending more information over the coming weeks. But if you have questions, please send an email to GCA’s Chair of the Security Committee at security@glenmore-community.org.
Sincerely,
Greg Pagonakis
GCA Director and Chair of Security Committee
| 
