rickak
Member
This article was in the Coloradoan this morning. Thought I would pass it along...
Rick
Radio system to cost millions
By KEVIN DUGGAN
KevinDuggan@coloradoan.com
Upgrading Larimer County's public safety radio system so agencies can talk to each other could take years and cost about $8 million.
Currently, radio coverage in the mountains is spotty and Larimer County sheriff deputies, for example, cannot communicate directly with Fort Collins police.
Upgrading the county's current very high frequency, or VHF, radio system to an 800 MHz system would correct that.
It would also require buying new radios for the Sheriff's Office and local fire districts as well as building new broadcast towers in the mountains, consultants told the county commissioners Monday.
A complete switch would cost more than $16 million, said Cheryl Giggetts of CTA Communications Inc. of Lynchburg, Va. She said the county could make gradual changes at about half the cost.
The commissioners have yet to formally decide whether to go with an 800 MHz system, but they directed county staff members to look for potential funding sources for the upgrade, including Homeland Security grants.
Commissioner Glenn Gibson said he is not convinced an 800 MHz system, which has a shorter signal range than VHF signals, would be effective in the mountains.
"I'm concerned about spending those kinds of dollars on something that isn't going to work," he said.
Switching the county to an 800 MHz system would improve communication between local agencies, Giggetts said. Building more radio towers would require permits from the U.S. Forest Service.
Other agencies currently using 800 MHz systems include the Fort Collins and Loveland police departments, the Colorado State Patrol and Poudre Fire Authority.
About $1.2 million has been set aside to replace the radio system, said Bob Keister, the county budget director. The commissioners could set more funding aside for the system in their general fund, but the money would have to come from other funds.
The county has other high-ticket issues that might be competing for increased funding, Keister said, including new vote-counting equipment for the Clerk's Office and dealing with overcrowding in the jail.
"You are going to have to set some priorities," he said.
Originally published February 28, 2006
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060228/NEWS01/602280318/1002
Rick
Radio system to cost millions
By KEVIN DUGGAN
KevinDuggan@coloradoan.com
Upgrading Larimer County's public safety radio system so agencies can talk to each other could take years and cost about $8 million.
Currently, radio coverage in the mountains is spotty and Larimer County sheriff deputies, for example, cannot communicate directly with Fort Collins police.
Upgrading the county's current very high frequency, or VHF, radio system to an 800 MHz system would correct that.
It would also require buying new radios for the Sheriff's Office and local fire districts as well as building new broadcast towers in the mountains, consultants told the county commissioners Monday.
A complete switch would cost more than $16 million, said Cheryl Giggetts of CTA Communications Inc. of Lynchburg, Va. She said the county could make gradual changes at about half the cost.
The commissioners have yet to formally decide whether to go with an 800 MHz system, but they directed county staff members to look for potential funding sources for the upgrade, including Homeland Security grants.
Commissioner Glenn Gibson said he is not convinced an 800 MHz system, which has a shorter signal range than VHF signals, would be effective in the mountains.
"I'm concerned about spending those kinds of dollars on something that isn't going to work," he said.
Switching the county to an 800 MHz system would improve communication between local agencies, Giggetts said. Building more radio towers would require permits from the U.S. Forest Service.
Other agencies currently using 800 MHz systems include the Fort Collins and Loveland police departments, the Colorado State Patrol and Poudre Fire Authority.
About $1.2 million has been set aside to replace the radio system, said Bob Keister, the county budget director. The commissioners could set more funding aside for the system in their general fund, but the money would have to come from other funds.
The county has other high-ticket issues that might be competing for increased funding, Keister said, including new vote-counting equipment for the Clerk's Office and dealing with overcrowding in the jail.
"You are going to have to set some priorities," he said.
Originally published February 28, 2006
http://coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060228/NEWS01/602280318/1002
