Ridgefield CT: Motorola, town officials show off radio system to school board

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Lynch_Christopher

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If taxpayers vote to approve a $3.7-million townwide emergency radio communication system this spring, the schools will be lined up to hook into it as soon as next summer — as long as the district can pony up another $400,000 in the following year’s budget.
That’s the message the Board of Education received during a presentation led by police Chief John Roche, Deputy Emergency Manager Dick Aarons, and Rachel Johnson of Motorola, which would be implementing the system.



“We tailored it to when the town’s ready,” said Craig Tunks, the district’s director of technology, who also presented the proposal.
“Our system will be ready to go three months after the town’s system is in place,” he said. “Our goal is to be fully operational by the 2016-17 school year — around September or October 2016.”
Of course, that’s if the capital item goes through this year and voters then approve an additional $400,000 next spring for the schools to hook up to the new equipment.
“It’s a bit of a step ladder approach,” Chief Roche explained. “Phase I, the foundation of the system, has already been completed at our dispatch center at headquarters. Phase II will begin this summer, if the voters approve it, and it will be completed next summer with the schools climbing on. …
“There are some advantages of getting that money delayed,” he added, referencing the Board of Selectmen’s non-binding recommendation to ax the $400,000 capital item for the schools from this year’s proposed budget.
Several board members disagreed, leading to a 20-minute discussion about what could have been during the 2015-16 school year had the money not been deferred to next year’s budget.
“We could have done quite a bit with this system if we had been given the money,” argued board member Karen Sulzinsky. “It’s upsetting that we now have to wait a whole year before we can even get started.”
Chairman Austin Drukker wanted to keep the dialogue centered on the new technology and what it would mean for the schools.
“It will replace the day-to-day, inter-building communications that we struggle with all the time,” said Mr. Tunks.
“There will be no more Radio Shack radios,” he said. “These are the real deal.”



Educators check out new radios | The Ridgefield Press
 
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