[TrunkCom] No EWACS (EDACS) for us-- JPs Warned Off Radios

[Marcelrf-A-GPS-i100]

-- JPs Warned Off Radios

Fort Smith, Arkansas � Wednesday, March 20, 2002
By Rusty Garrett

TIMES RECORD � RGARRETT@SWTIMES.COM

The owner of a Fort Smith radio communications company Tuesday cautioned
the
Sebastian County Quorum Court against investing in a commercially owned
radio
system the county has proposed purchasing for use as a public safety
communications system.

Phil Mayberry of PEI Communications told justices of the peace at their
monthly
meeting he was representing not only his company, but the taxpayers of
Sebastian
County who will pay for the enhanced digital access communications
system
(EDACS) radio system the county has proposed buying.

Mayberry said the county �has not explored all avenues� in its search
for a
countywide radio system.

He said the radios the EDACS system uses are �very expensive,� and the
county
would be �locked into� a system that has only one local vendor and a
single service
provider in the area.

�If something happens and the provider is unable to answer a call, who
is going to
work on it to keep them running?� Mayberry asked.

Mayberry further said the system the county is eyeing is 10 to 14 years
old, in need
of upgrading and in a state where downtime is an expected occurrence. He

predicted costs to the county would far exceed the $60,000 initial
investment and
projected $15,000 a year for operation and maintenance.

�You are asking for trouble when you can have a Cadillac system for half
the
money,� Mayberry said.

The plan before the county involves the purchase of the radio system and
equipment
from the Nextel Corp. Nextel, which bought the system from a private
vendor, has
indicated it will eventually shut down the system. Among its customers
are several
emergency service providers, including Fort Smith and Sebastian County
EMS,
Barling, Lavaca, Mansfield and Greenwood police, fire and utility
departments.
Some rural first responders and volunteer fire departments are also
linked to the
system.

The county would reprogram the system to use 18 public safety
frequencies it has
secured from the Federal Communications Commission in the 800 mHz band.

Buying the system would enable the public users of the system to
continue operation
for the foreseeable future, said County Judge David Hudson. In the
interim, a
permanent communications plan could be developed.

Mayberry said the county�s buying the system �amounts to a bailout� of
Barling and
Lavaca, which have invested heavily in the EDACS system and would have
to
replace their communications equipment if Nextel shuts it down.

�I don�t know why we should pay for their mistakes,� Mayberry said.

Hudson told Mayberry, �I would like to see some proposals.� He
encouraged
Mayberry to provide the county with information on an alternative system
to see
how it compares to the EDACS system.

�If you have a better plan, we want to see it,� Hudson said. �We are
willing to look
at any and all options.�

In other action, the quorum court adopted an ordinance requiring
companies or
individuals responsible for hazardous waste incidents to pay the cost of
cleaning
them up.

The ordinance is a companion to a measure the county earlier adopted
creating a
county-wide hazardous materials response program and assessing cities a
40-cents
per capita fee to pay for the program.