Madison County OKs MotoTRBO radio purchase
The complete upgrade to the communications system is expected to cost $490,000 and would include the purchase of Motorola’s Mototrbo digital radio system.
Madison County supervisors last week unanimously approved a potentially half million dollar plan to upgrade the communications equipment for emergency personnel, but still aren’t sure how they will pay for it.
The supervisors asked County Administrator Lisa Robertson to investigate alternative financing and report back to them later. A representative from Clear Communications is expected to be present at the supervisors 2 p.m. Aug. 25 workshop at the County Thrift Road Complex.
The sheriff, EMS director, rescue squad captain and E911 director all spoke at the Aug. 9 regular meeting at the County Administration Center of the urgency in getting a new communications system.
The complete upgrade to the communications system is expected to cost $490,000 and would include the purchase of Motorola’s Mototrbo digital radio system, plus an equipment building on Blakey Ridge and a back-up generator.
The cost of a hand-held radio is $1,050 each and the cost for a vehicle radio is $870 each, said County E911 Director Robert “Radar” Finks. County officials said they need to buy 246 radios total, which would total roughly $200,000. The rest of the money would pay for the equipment building on Blakey Ridge, upgrades to the repeaters, installation in the vehicles, placement of antennas on the vehicles, equipment for the dispatch staff, speakers and microphones, chargers, a new equipment building and more.
The supervisors discussed just purchasing the radios and not going with the entire system, but rejected that idea because it would not significantly improve the problem, said Chairman James Arrington when asked to clarify the board’s decision.
The supervisors wanted to move things along because they said it could potentially save a life as well as the chance to save $24,000 on a rebate if they applied for the hand-held and vehicle radios by Aug. 26. For each radio they trade in, they get $100 back, Finks said at the meeting.
County officials said the communications system’s reception worsened in 2008. Finks researched systems and Motorola gave a price of $3.6 million at that time. The system’s reception further worsened this past year when the FCC required “narrow-banding.” Now, new digital technology has arrived and the price has dropped considerably.
The project was listed in the county’s capital improvement plan, a to-do list of projects for the county.
Picture: Mr. Robert "Radar" Finks
Source: www.madison-news.com
