A good portion of the most recent meeting of the Carroll County Board of Supervisors focused on an update and request to move forward with site preparations for the new statewide communications system. Last October, the supervisors entered into a more than $4 million agreement for the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System (ISICS) upgrades. A consultant, Rey Freeman, was retained by the county to vet all possible options and make his recommendations on the implementation process. First and foremost are the updates needed at the various tower sites throughout Carroll County. There is not a lot of work necessary at the dispatch center here in Carroll, but an electrical contractor will be hired to complete the estimated $1,000 to $1,500 in upgrades. The county is working to lease space on the City of Manning’s tower, and Communications Supervisor and 911 Coordinator, Jason Hoffman, says the lease was presented to County Attorney, John Werden, who made some alterations. There was some concern over one of these.
They are also negotiating a lease on the FTC tower just outside of Coon Rapids, the sole commercial lease in this project. The supervisors, however, cannot preview the lease until they complete and submit an application and a $1,250 fee. The structural analysis will be done by FTC and charged back to the county. They would also need to build a shelter for their equipment and they range from $12,000 to $18,000 for used and around $50,000 for new. The bulk of the discussion was on a proposed site near Lanesboro. Freeman explains.
The property is owned by a farmer in that region and Freeman says it was inherited through a termination or default on the lease with AT&T. There has been $150,000 allocated in the budget for the work necessary to physically bring the towers into compliance and the supervisors approved moving forward with the projects at each, not to exceed that amount in total.
