[Scan-DC] Morgan County WV considers $2.4 million radio system

[Alan Henney]

The Morgan Messenger (Berkeley Springs, West Virginia)

March 12, 2014

County considers $2.4 million radio system

BYLINE: Jazz Clark

SECTION: FRONT PAGE

LENGTH: 589 words

"Morgan be advised, you are unreadable," the dispatcher repeats after numerous attempts to call emergency services to a garage fire in Great Cacapon on March 5. Static and several uncomfortable minutes of garbled voices were the only response.

This is not an uncommon exchange to hear over the police scanner, which many county residents have installed in their homes. 

"What if this were a lifethreatening event?," asked Commissioner Bob Ford of an audience of emergency responders and firemen at a March 6 Morgan County Commission meeting.

Ford scheduled the session to ask county officials to make a decision on a new radio system which will provide Morgan County emergency workers with radio signal in 95% of the county as opposed to the current 60%. The catch? His preferred system will cost the county $2.4 million.

Ford came to the meeting prepared with a financial outline and plan involving grants and fee increases to fund the purchase of the Motorola Ultra-High Frequency system.

To meet the cost, Ford is planning to apply for a Homeland Security Grant worth $400,000 and a Wireless Tower Grant of $600,000. Ford is confident in the county's ability to receive those grants, he said, though any motion to go forward with a radio system will be contingent upon actually receiving the grants.

The other funds would come out of the county's Capitol Improvements fund, and the remaining balance could be reached by raising the county 911 fee by $1 said Ford. He proposed taking $500,000 from the county fund.

According to Ford, an increase of 911 fees on phones equals $12 dollars per household per year, and a total of $81,360.

Motorola is willing to make a 15-year contract for the county to pay the remaining $900,000 portion of the new equipment. Raising the 911 phone fees will pay off that balance in a little over 11 years.

The Motorola contract could include no prepayment penalties and a 4.05% lease rate, said Account Manager Peter Marotta at the March 6 meeting.

Motorola is Ford's preferred choice for a company whose equipment will be put on radio towers in order to create an interoperable system across the county, as the state of West Virginia supports Motorola exclusively through their Statewide Interoperable Radio Network.

Last year, the commission sought bids for an emergency radio system and received two responses.

Motorola bid a total estimated cost of $2,223,774, and Ganoe Enterprises bid $1,431,364, to service all five separate towers and installations, including all optional equipment. These include Short Tower, the proposed Purslane Tower, the Morgan County Courthouse, the Pines Opportunity Center (old hospital), and Cacapon Tower. War Memorial Hospital is an optional site, but is included in the totals.

As stated at previous meetings, the county could have a very difficult time securing communication grants if local responders are not on the state emergency network.

"We've been waiting a very long time for this," said 911 Director Zach Caldwell. The 911 Advisory Board voted unanimously to replace the current radio system.

Commissioner Brad Close thanked Ford for putting his thoughts down on paper, joking that it only took him one and a half years to do so.

"I would like to be ready to move today, but since I was just given this financial information, I'm not sure I am," said Close. "I would at least like to review the financials and the Motorola contract at length."

The decision on whether to fund a new radio system was tabled to the first action item of the March 30 meeting.