Tower project on budget, if not on time
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.
“Matt and the New York State Dormitory have been on top of this. It hasn’t been easy negotiating. We are going to have an outstanding emergency management, fire and police system to serve everyone in the whole county,” said Board Chairman Richard B. Decker, R-North Norwich.
Town of Columbus Supervisor George G. Coates said he was hopeful that the county’s far-flung towns would be better served with the new system. Two new cellular telephone towers being erected in the vicinity of Columbus will also help with emergency communications, he said.
The 911 emergency management overhaul occurred in three phases: tower construction, $2.9 million; microwave installation, $1,036 million; and base radios and installation, $2.1 million.
Beckwith said he would be meeting with contractors today to lock in the build out schedule. “If we get a lot of snow and ice, and we can’t access tower sites, it (the project’s completion) would be delayed. But, we will work with the county highway department to make sure we have access to the tower sites,” he said.
Not all EMS departments have the new radio receivers installed in their fire trucks and emergency vehicles yet. Beckwith said the older frequency system would be utilized until all of the towns can afford the new equipment. Most local emergency response teams already have them, however, including the county, McDonough, North Norwich, Sherburne, Smithville, Smyrna, Chenango County, Brisben, Coventry, New Berlin and Preston. The radios are turned off, just waiting for the go ahead. The town of Greene’s radios are on order.
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.
“Matt and the New York State Dormitory have been on top of this. It hasn’t been easy negotiating. We are going to have an outstanding emergency management, fire and police system to serve everyone in the whole county,” said Board Chairman Richard B. Decker, R-North Norwich.
Town of Columbus Supervisor George G. Coates said he was hopeful that the county’s far-flung towns would be better served with the new system. Two new cellular telephone towers being erected in the vicinity of Columbus will also help with emergency communications, he said.
The 911 emergency management overhaul occurred in three phases: tower construction, $2.9 million; microwave installation, $1,036 million; and base radios and installation, $2.1 million.
Beckwith said he would be meeting with contractors today to lock in the build out schedule. “If we get a lot of snow and ice, and we can’t access tower sites, it (the project’s completion) would be delayed. But, we will work with the county highway department to make sure we have access to the tower sites,” he said.
Not all EMS departments have the new radio receivers installed in their fire trucks and emergency vehicles yet. Beckwith said the older frequency system would be utilized until all of the towns can afford the new equipment. Most local emergency response teams already have them, however, including the county, McDonough, North Norwich, Sherburne, Smithville, Smyrna, Chenango County, Brisben, Coventry, New Berlin and Preston. The radios are turned off, just waiting for the go ahead. The town of Greene’s radios are on order.
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