No decision made on courthouse security windows

Antelope County has not decided yet whether to install new security windows inside its courthouse in Neligh.

The board of commissioners heard a presentation Tuesday, Nov. 10, from Aaron Kinnan of Kinnan Construction near Oakdale about a potential project.

Kinnan noted in a follow-up interview that the commissioners are split on whether to have more expensive bullet-resistant – more commonly known as bulletproof – glass or cheaper shatterproof safety glass installed for certain county offices.

"The price difference between safety glass and bullet-resistant is about four times the cost," Kinnan said. "I don't have a figure because the county is still deciding what to do."

His bid of $36,091.99 included installing the cheaper safety glass, building a 4-foot stub wall and placing a countertop on the outside of certain county offices that can be used by customers on which to sign papers.

"There would be a pass-through and glass running up to two feet from the ceiling to help with ventilation and noise, with electronic speakers so they can hear," Kinnan said.

"The wall would be plywood, studs and drywall to make it safer," he said. "If we go with bullet-resistant, we will have to line the wall with Kevlar."

According to DuPont, which makes Kevlar, the product is a "is a heat-resistant, synthetic, lightweight fiber that delivers high tensile strength that brings improved protection and performance across a range of industries and applications."

The board members discussed the need for security windows inside the courthouse for about 40 minutes, but they could not agree on what to do on the agenda item.

Commissioner Dean Smith made two motions, with the first one being voted down 3-2, while the second one died due to the lack of support.

Smith made a motion to go with Kinnan's proposed project, which was seconded by commissioner Eli Jacob.

However, board chair Charlie Henery, board vice chair Regina Krebs and commissioner Carolyn Pedersen voted against the motion.

Smith made a second motion, with this one suggesting slight changes to Kinnan's proposal, but no one voiced support for it, so it died.

In a follow-up interview, Smith asked if the county has bullet-resistant security windows installed inside the courthouse, why not do the same for the building's exterior windows?

"Where do you stop?" Smith asked. "We've just got to figure out where we stop and start at."

He noted he is not in favor of having bullet-resistant glass installed inside the courthouse.

"It's terribly, terribly expensive," Smith said. "The outside windows of the courthouse aren't bulletproof, and those windows look into all those rooms, so where do you start and where do you stop at?"

He mentioned he would be in favor of having shatterproof safety glass installed inside the courthouse.

"The quote was for a shatterproof glass that is probably somewhat common on things like that," Smith said. "I was all right with that."

In a follow-up interview, Pedersen noted the main safety issue prior to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was how does the county try to keep its courthouse employees safe if someone enters the building, has a gun and starts shooting.

"If we go to the expense to address the COVID issue only with 'safety glass,' this does nothing to protect our employees if we have a 'shooter' in the courthouse," Pedersen said. "I feel we can and need to address both issues now."

She noted county assessor Kelly Mueller-Oltjenbruns was going to reach out to the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association, the county's insurance provider.

"Kelly is contacting our insurance provider to see if there would be a grant to help with the cost of installing a bulletproof barrier for the different offices within the courthouse and to see if the safety advisor with NIRMA would come to the courthouse and advise us as to what is going to be the best way to address this issue," Pedersen said.

In a follow-up interview, Krebs noted the potential installation of security windows inside the courthouse really depends on available funding for such a project.

"In the end, we decided to look at potential funding for safety upgrades," Krebs said. "We're thinking that there may be a couple of grants available.

"It's something that's been talked about for several years now," she said. "Like everything else, it comes down to funding and how much it's going to cost."

She noted she would be in favor of having bullet-resistant security windows installed if the funding for such a project was available.

"As far as putting in just windows to put glass in there, I'm not sure that's a direction I'd like to head," Krebs said. "Unless they include bulletproof glass, we haven't made a safety upgrade."