News Photo by Temi Fadayomi The ACC Board of Trustees is shown during a meeting on Thursday.

ALPENA — The Alpena Community College Board of Trustees on Thursday unanimously voted to authorize college officials to contract with Allied Universal of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania for security services for a cost not exceeding $73,222.40.

“We need security,” ACC President Don MacMaster said. “Without any security, the campus feels naked.”

ACC currently has a contract with the City of Alpena and the Alpena Police Department to provide enhanced law enforcement coverage for the Alpena campus for the period of Jan. 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2024. The enhanced coverage includes a certified police officer to the college campus for general coverage as well as attending Board of Trustees meetings and other college activities.

Staffing shortages at the Alpena Police Department however, have limited the availability of officers to be present on the Alpena campus for regular activities though officers continue to be present for ACC board meetings.

To address this moving forward, the board circulated a request for proposals for security services for the Alpena campus to which Allied Universal bid its services for $73,222.40.

It is unknown when Allied Universal would begin providing security services for the college.

Allied Universal provides physical security, technology security, risk advising and consulting, executive protection and intelligence services, and security/safety training and currently employs nearly 300,000 security professionals.

Allied Universal’s bid stipulated that it would supply its own vehicle, gasoline being billed as expenses are incurred, and a cell phone.

The $73,222.40 exceeds the $42,000 which was in the budget for the Alpena Police Department contract, and the cost is expected to come out of ACC’s General Fund.

The Alpena Community College Board of Trustees on Thursday also:

∫ was shown the monthly general fund revenue and expense through July 2023. The property tax receipts were $152,574 which is $35,692 less than those for July 2022, due to the timing of millage receipts.

Tuition/fee receipts were $3,149,811 which is $353,160 more than in July 2022 primarily due to higher-than-expected registrations at this time of year.