Consulting firm: Lorain County should chose Motorola/MARCS for emergency radio system
A consulting firm hired by the Lorain County Board of Commissioners to investigate new proposals for emergency first responder radios has recommended the board go with a proposal by Motorola to get the county on the Multi-Agency Radio Communications System.
The board didn't make a decision Tuesday on what would be a two-year, multi-milliondollar project. MCM Consulting Group's recommendation also was met with criticism from first responders, union members and police officials at the meeting, who prefer one of Motorola's competitors.
Jason Roblin of MCM Consulting Group said his company's recommendation was to go with the MARCS system and its vendor Motorola.
The system is interoperable with the radios currently in use by Lorain County first responders, is at the proper 700/800 MHz frequency band to reach inside buildings across the county and is compatible with older technology, Roblin said.
He said the system should be 99.999 percent reliable, have coverage outdoors and indoors, have enough capacity to handle multiple radios and systems, give 95 percent coverage 95 percent of the time, have quality audio and pass users' tests while losing few decibels indoors.
Roblin said Lorain County officials wanted up to 24 months to test the system, build it and go live, along with capacity for future growth, warranties, maintenance and service guarantees, equipment replacement and support for up to 20 years.
In the end, there were two bidders: Motorola/MARCS and a partnership of Vasu Communications and EFJohnson.
Cleveland Communications Inc., whose L3 Harris system radios are preferred by county fire chiefs, county sheriff's deputies and Sheriff Phil Stammitti — and already in use to great effect, according to chiefs and first responders in Avon, Avon Lake, Sheffield Lake, Sheffield and North Ridgeville — submitted a "no-bid letter," Roblin said.
CCI had a multimillion-dollar contract to provide county first responders with L3 Harris radios and infrastructure for less than three weeks.
It was signed by former commissioner Matt Lundy and Commissioner Michelle Hung in December 2022, then rescinded by commissioners David Moore and Jeff Riddell the following month over Hung's objection.
CCI's bid was the only one received. Motorola requested a deadline extension but did not end up bidding, and Vasu Communications gave an incomplete bid.
After the fact, Riddell claimed the bidding process was improper. He has failed to give any evidence for his claim either to the Chronicle-Telegram or in two separate criminal investigations by the Lorain County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio Auditor of State's office.
CCI sued Lorain County in Common Pleas Court in January, dismissed it, then refiled it in U.S. District Court in Cleveland in August.
Motorola/MARCS currently leases multiple radio towers in Lorain County, and more would be constructed or upgraded. Connected with the state and already serving the Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and State Highway Patrol, it already has access to the required frequencies, Roblin said.
Then there's the cost comparison: The Motorola/MARCS would cost just under $11.4 million to implement, and just under $17.3 million over 20 years, Roblin estimated.
EFJohnson/Vasu would cost $10.7 million to implement, but $26.75 million over 20 years, Roblin estimated.
"MCM is recommending the Motorola proposal," he said, calling it the "best long-term value" with 150,000 users in 77 of Ohio's 88 counties, access to technicians and engineers, 371 current radio towers, "a lock" on Federal Communications Commission licenses and capacity for future growth.
Moore said the key question now is "How are you going to pay for it?"
He said 911 levy money and possibly bonds mixed with cash or financing could be considered, but "those questions have yet to be decided."
The board hired MCM in March to assess the county's radio infrastructure needs for an updated public safety radio communications system. MCM also worked with potential bidders on the process leading to the proposals presented Tuesday.
A past consulting firm paid by the county had recommended CCI's L3 Harris system.
Critics of the commissioners who showed up at Tuesday's meeting weren't surprised by Roblin's announcement, voicing their displeasure when Roblin announced that his company had chosen Motorola/MARCS. They voiced their displeasure with groans and sarcastic laughs.
Critics also said county officials failed to work closely enough with first responders ahead of the proposals.
"It's critical how you pick your committee," Lorain Police Chief Jim McCann told the commissioners.
He said the committee of county officials that took part in the proposal process didn't include any active police or firefighters who will actually use the radio system chosen by the county.
"That's a very big flaw in this committee," McCann said. "It's not a good committee to convince the police and firefighters, to get us on board to convince us we're doing the right thing here. Find a way to convince police and fire that this is the right place to be and go with the system."
The way the entire process was done "turned everyone off," he said.
County Administrator Jeff Armbruster said there would be time for MCM to meet with fire chiefs and police chiefs and present them with the information. In response to a question from Hung, Roblin said he had yet to meet with the sheriff but "I look forward to it."
Aden Fogel, a frequent critic of Moore and Riddell, questioned the price tag on the radio system and why Riddell is wasting money when he promised to "end reckless spending" as part of his 2022 campaign.
Other people present at the meeting clapped for Fogel when he wondered aloud about legal and consulting fees spent by the board, fighting the CCI lawsuits and spending money previous boards had already spent.
"You're gonna put people's lives on the line," critic Deb Coon told Riddell and Moore during public comment time. "Who's in your ear about the MARCS system? You're no experts. You should have called the fire departments."
Coon then suggested the issue was going to cost Moore at the polls next year.
"You're gonna pay for it, Moore, in 2024. No Moore," she said.
Moore said the issue was never about whose handheld radios were preferred.
"We're not getting involved in picking radios," he said, "we're involved in building infrastructure."
"The majority of this board is committed to building the infrastructure for a wireless communication network that will cover our entire county," Moore said after the meeting. "This project will allow local governments to decide which radio they want, while providing coverage they need."
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