NORWICH – All in, the total cost for Chenango County’s eight new emergency communications towers and transmission equipment will be just under the projected $7 million budget.

Planned for more than a decade, the project has been under construction by the New York State Dormitory Authority since 2007 when the Chenango County Public Safety Facility was completed. Earlier projections were to have the system up and running this fall.

Radios and radio frequencies are due to be installed, weather permitting, by the end of the year now, according to Emergency Management Services Director Matt Beckwith, and the 911 system could be operational by early spring.

“The delay came as we waited for seven months for an equipment list from Motorola, which was a considerably longer wait than we had anticipated,” said Beckwith.

Beckwith made a final request for $1,050,000 from the county’s Finance Committee in order to afford the base radio installations. The Chenango County Board of Supervisors approved his request this month.