The Clarke County Board of Supervisors approved 3-0 a general obligation emergency communications loan agreement, a general obligation bond, on Monday, Dec. 2. The loan, which is not to exceed two million dollars, will be used to construct a new communications tower.
Background
A discussion regarding ISICS (Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System) in the county was held last December. At the time, Clarke County Emergency Management Coordinator Byron Jimmerson gave a brief background on the communications history of Clarke County.
For a long time, the county operated on an analog radio system, but after FCC narrowbanding cut radio frequencies in half, they started looking into other options. Law enforcement agencies went to the MOTOTRBO system, while fire and EMS did not, nor did the state of Iowa as a whole. While the system worked well, Jimmerson said it was not designed as a public safety radio system.
Then, Iowa invested millions of dollars towards ISICS infrastructure, towers and maintenance around the state, making coverage from car radios about 95%.
State towers were not required in every county, and Clarke County does not have one. With such towers in neighboring counties, radios in Clarke County were able to use those towers. Radios were procured that worked on the ISICS system, however limitations were found in buildings around town. Thus began the need to plan for Clarke County’s own tower, which would complete phase two of the project.
When the tower at the law enforcement center blew down due to heavy winds in July, it left
Osceola using their backup tower south of Walmart for fire and storm center paging; there is no other option currently available for those calls.
In working with Motorola, Jimmerson was able to put together a package proposal that would include a tower and ISICS site, to be located where the former tower was at the law enforcement center. The proposal also includes 10 in-car cameras and 10 body cameras to be worn by the sheriff’s office, along with nine APX900 and 25 APX8500 radios for secondary roads. The supervisors approved the agreement with Motorola on Nov. 23.
By building a 210-foot tower at the law enforcement center, it will allow the county to stop paying rent on the tower south of Walmart - approximately $1,500 a month - reduce microwave length and have everything on the generator at the station. The cost for the project, which is estimated to take about 18 months, is $1,710,364. A six-year, prorated warranty will come in at $400,545. The tower will allow the county to go on the ISICS system.
As Motorola won the state bid in 2015 to construct and maintain the ISICS towers, by using their services, there is no need to find a different company to do things such as build cores and service areas.
Representatives for Motorola said that one doesn’t have to buy Motorola equipment to use the ISICS system, however, anyone wanting to add coverage to the ISICS system does have to use Motorola equipment.
Public hearing
A public hearing was held Monday prior to voting on entering into the general loan agreement. Questions were raised about the need for the tower, and why they either cannot continue using the rented one, or find another existing tower to use.
Jimmerson explained that the system currently being utilized on the rented tower is the backup system. Therefore, if that system were to go down now, there would be no further backup. By owning a tower, it removes the uncertainty of the longevity of the rented one.
“Not only the tower we’re renting is an older tower, we assume that provider will continue to keep that tower up, we don’t necessarily have control over that. Someday, they may decide they’re no longer going to service that tower, it’s not cost-effective. Where we own the tower, it’s a new tower, it’s under warranty, it’s reliable, dependable,” Jimmerson said. The rented tower also has different technology than what will be on the new tower.
As to why they couldn’t just utilize an existing tower closer to the law enforcement center, it was said that the problem came with having to add microwave backhaul links to the towers, so that two could communicate. The cost for those is about $395,000, and they’d need more than one. By having their own tower, there would be no need for a microwave backhaul link, which is wireless, as it would be a direct, wired connection. There is also already a shelter in place for equipment, as well as a generator and propane line.
Some other ideas, such as the water tower, are not tall enough, nor structurally sound enough for the ISICS equipment.
When asked about the need to be on the statewide system, it was pointed that there are many positions within the county travel around the state for work - moving inmates, mental health transfers, school functions, ambulance transfers and more. The system will also help address issues such as dead zones within the county, and inside hardened buildings.
The supervisors acknowledged the cost concern, but agreed this is a necessity for the county, and one needed now.
“We started this conversation three or four years ago, and didn’t do anything because of the cost…we’re at the 12th hour now [with] our communication system, we have to do something,” said supervisor Dean Robins.
Supervisor Austin Taylor spoke of how the system will add more security for first responders in areas where they may not have had communication abilities before.
“Radio communication’s key…with them being safe, they’re able to provide safety and security for the people in the [county],” Taylor said.
Jimmerson reminded that the county is currently running off of a VHF system, a system that is old and outdated.
“We’re on a patched together backup. If it were to go down, we have no alternatives,” said Jimmerson.
“That is something that could cost somebody their life,” said supervisor Randy Dunbar.
Motorola representative Fran Cueva said the tower will take between 12 to 16 months to be fully signed off on and fully operational. In that time, the county will continue to operate on their backup system as they have been. The final cost, which has gone down since the project was initially brought to the table, includes the construction of the tower, and everything that will go on it.
Final figures for the project will be available in 30 to 60 days. The loan is anticipated to be repaid over eight to 10 years.