Commissioners Approve $2.4M Tower Agreement
December 9, 2020 at 3:09 a.m.
Commissioners Approve $2.4M Tower Agreement
By David [email protected]
Terry Burnworth, with Pyramid Consulting, who has been working with the county on its communications project since April 2019, said the agreement includes the three new communication tower sites, all the RF equipment, the translation between the 700 megahertz and the VHF, six new consoles, a new recording system and “also we were able to negotiate into it 250 or more – I can’t even remember – of the LT devices for on your smartphone.”
He asked for the commissioners to approve the agreement.
Commissioner Cary Groninger elaborated, “This has been a long process we’ve been through ... and this is really the heart of our communication system, so this is pretty much all the electronics, all the radios that we’ll be buying, all the software. This is really something that’s going to bring our public safety communication up to par where we can really provide that communication to all emergency services here in the county that we’ve been so desperately needing for a long time.”
He said he was “super excited” about being able to move the project forward.
“It did go through a tedious process to get to this point. Terry’s been in negotiations with these guys, trying to get the absolute best deal for us and I know $2.4 million is a lot of money, but it’s one of those things that this is one of those projects that continue to prepare our county for the next generation. We’ve got to make sure people can communicate and provide those emergency services,” Groninger said.
He said it’s the county’s hope that this project can be used as the backbone for broadband other things in the community.
“It’s a big deal,” Groninger said. “Something that the county’s taken on to make sure we’re at the bar with providing our people with the right tools to be able to do their stuff.”
At the commissioners’ next meeting, he said there will be some more bids on the actual civil side of the tower locations. The towers have been awarded.
“We’re hoping to have this thing up and running by October of next year, maybe,” Groninger said.
Burnworth said October was a realistic expectation, and the towers’ construction could start by April.
Groninger said the project includes new consoles at Central Dispatch.
“It’s a full-meal deal and we’re trying to make sure we’re doing it right and not piecemealing it together as well as technology that’s going to be with us a while and not be antiquated,” Groninger said. “It also allows all of our local volunteer fire departments not to have to buy new radios and we’re making that VHF is able to talk back to the 800 megahertz. So, again, there’s a lot of things that are going into this to really make it a win-win for all of our departments in the county.”
Brad Jackson, commissioner president, said he assumed the cost was in the budget.
Groninger said it was right at what the county budgeted it for, maybe “just a pinch” over that, but “that’s some of the reason why we’re rebidding some of the civil packages, the towers, trying to get that last hundred grand, hundred and fifty grand out of there.” He said they had many good vendors provide bids and it wasn’t going to get any cheaper.
Groninger made the motion to approve the agreement, Conley provided the second and it was approved unanimously.
Burnworth told the commissioners that if they knew of any electrical contractors to tell them that bids for the work on the towers was due next week. They have plenty of excavating contractors to bid, but only a few electrical contractors.
The commissioners also approved an additional $40,000 to the Bowen Center for running the COVID-19 test site.
Groninger said the county received a letter from Bowen Center CEO Kurt Carlson.
“They just had an overwhelming response of people needing testing and they’re having to staff that with considerably more people than what they had originally thought they would need to,” Groninger said. “It’s something that our county desperately needs in order to keep that testing going.”
He said Bowen Center was asking for an additional $40,000 for additional salaries to man the testing site.
As part as his motion to approve the $40,000, Groninger asked that County Auditor Michelle Puckett talk with County Health Administrator Bob Weaver about some CARES Act money he has to see if they can use the CARES Act money first toward the Bowen Center request or if the county should pay toward it first.
Jackson asked if the city of Warsaw paid $20,000, and Groninger said that was correct. “The total is about $61,000, I think, in extra expenditures, so they’re splitting it two-thirds, one-third,” Groninger said.
In other business, the commissioners approved:
• A CARES Act Reimbursement Resolution for public health and safety payroll, as presented by county attorney Chad Miner. The County Council will approve it at their meeting Thursday.
• The contract for Edward Ormsby to take over as county attorney.
In August, the commissioners approved Ormsby to take over for Miner as county attorney when Miner resigns at year’s end. Miner was elected judge for Kosciusko Superior Court III this year, taking over for retiring Judge Joe Sutton.
Miner said he and Ormsby worked together to come up with the contract for 2020-21 and it was similar to Miner’s contract. They applied the cost-of-living increase for the contract.
• A maintenance proposal with CORE Mechanical Services for $10,584 that includes all of the county’s buildings, as presented by County Administrator Marsha McSherry.
• The 2021 annual health clinic agreements with Warsaw Community Schools and Cardinal Services Inc.
• Prosecutor Dan Hampton’s request to reconciliate the Senior Prosecutor HUB grants for 2018 and 2019. The prosecutor’s office received $20,000 grants through the Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Council in 2018 and 2019 to represent the special prosecutors in child support IV-D cases. Some of the grant money has been left over and Hampton will allocate that leftover into other expenses other than salaries in the prosecutor’s office and for the county.
• The 2021 board appointments by the commissioners; department head appointments and miscellaneous recommendations for appointments.
• An updated capital assets policy, as presented by Puckett.
• A memorandum of understanding with the city of Warsaw for snow removal and road maintenance, as requested by Highway Superintendent Steve Moriarty. The commissioners also approved the highway department’s road maintenance list. The county has 1,163 miles of road, the third most in the state.
Bids for sign truck body and chassis were opened by Miner for the highway department. Moriarty will return to the commissioners at their special meeting Dec. 15 to make a recommendation.
Bids received included Rice Ford Lincoln, MSRP $59,835 with a selling price of $49,792; Kerlin Motor Co., $49,288.86; Sorg Nissan, $61,065 with a selling price of $47,388; Country Auto Center, $49,041; BEC Brown Equipment Co., $99,625; W.A. Jones, $97,892; McCormick Motors Inc., $55,435.19; Mike Anderson, $61,090 with a selling price of $47,409.
Terry Burnworth, with Pyramid Consulting, who has been working with the county on its communications project since April 2019, said the agreement includes the three new communication tower sites, all the RF equipment, the translation between the 700 megahertz and the VHF, six new consoles, a new recording system and “also we were able to negotiate into it 250 or more – I can’t even remember – of the LT devices for on your smartphone.”
He asked for the commissioners to approve the agreement.
Commissioner Cary Groninger elaborated, “This has been a long process we’ve been through ... and this is really the heart of our communication system, so this is pretty much all the electronics, all the radios that we’ll be buying, all the software. This is really something that’s going to bring our public safety communication up to par where we can really provide that communication to all emergency services here in the county that we’ve been so desperately needing for a long time.”
He said he was “super excited” about being able to move the project forward.
“It did go through a tedious process to get to this point. Terry’s been in negotiations with these guys, trying to get the absolute best deal for us and I know $2.4 million is a lot of money, but it’s one of those things that this is one of those projects that continue to prepare our county for the next generation. We’ve got to make sure people can communicate and provide those emergency services,” Groninger said.
He said it’s the county’s hope that this project can be used as the backbone for broadband other things in the community.
“It’s a big deal,” Groninger said. “Something that the county’s taken on to make sure we’re at the bar with providing our people with the right tools to be able to do their stuff.”
At the commissioners’ next meeting, he said there will be some more bids on the actual civil side of the tower locations. The towers have been awarded.
“We’re hoping to have this thing up and running by October of next year, maybe,” Groninger said.
Burnworth said October was a realistic expectation, and the towers’ construction could start by April.
Groninger said the project includes new consoles at Central Dispatch.
“It’s a full-meal deal and we’re trying to make sure we’re doing it right and not piecemealing it together as well as technology that’s going to be with us a while and not be antiquated,” Groninger said. “It also allows all of our local volunteer fire departments not to have to buy new radios and we’re making that VHF is able to talk back to the 800 megahertz. So, again, there’s a lot of things that are going into this to really make it a win-win for all of our departments in the county.”
Brad Jackson, commissioner president, said he assumed the cost was in the budget.
Groninger said it was right at what the county budgeted it for, maybe “just a pinch” over that, but “that’s some of the reason why we’re rebidding some of the civil packages, the towers, trying to get that last hundred grand, hundred and fifty grand out of there.” He said they had many good vendors provide bids and it wasn’t going to get any cheaper.
Groninger made the motion to approve the agreement, Conley provided the second and it was approved unanimously.
Burnworth told the commissioners that if they knew of any electrical contractors to tell them that bids for the work on the towers was due next week. They have plenty of excavating contractors to bid, but only a few electrical contractors.
The commissioners also approved an additional $40,000 to the Bowen Center for running the COVID-19 test site.
Groninger said the county received a letter from Bowen Center CEO Kurt Carlson.
“They just had an overwhelming response of people needing testing and they’re having to staff that with considerably more people than what they had originally thought they would need to,” Groninger said. “It’s something that our county desperately needs in order to keep that testing going.”
He said Bowen Center was asking for an additional $40,000 for additional salaries to man the testing site.
As part as his motion to approve the $40,000, Groninger asked that County Auditor Michelle Puckett talk with County Health Administrator Bob Weaver about some CARES Act money he has to see if they can use the CARES Act money first toward the Bowen Center request or if the county should pay toward it first.
Jackson asked if the city of Warsaw paid $20,000, and Groninger said that was correct. “The total is about $61,000, I think, in extra expenditures, so they’re splitting it two-thirds, one-third,” Groninger said.
In other business, the commissioners approved:
• A CARES Act Reimbursement Resolution for public health and safety payroll, as presented by county attorney Chad Miner. The County Council will approve it at their meeting Thursday.
• The contract for Edward Ormsby to take over as county attorney.
In August, the commissioners approved Ormsby to take over for Miner as county attorney when Miner resigns at year’s end. Miner was elected judge for Kosciusko Superior Court III this year, taking over for retiring Judge Joe Sutton.
Miner said he and Ormsby worked together to come up with the contract for 2020-21 and it was similar to Miner’s contract. They applied the cost-of-living increase for the contract.
• A maintenance proposal with CORE Mechanical Services for $10,584 that includes all of the county’s buildings, as presented by County Administrator Marsha McSherry.
• The 2021 annual health clinic agreements with Warsaw Community Schools and Cardinal Services Inc.
• Prosecutor Dan Hampton’s request to reconciliate the Senior Prosecutor HUB grants for 2018 and 2019. The prosecutor’s office received $20,000 grants through the Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Council in 2018 and 2019 to represent the special prosecutors in child support IV-D cases. Some of the grant money has been left over and Hampton will allocate that leftover into other expenses other than salaries in the prosecutor’s office and for the county.
• The 2021 board appointments by the commissioners; department head appointments and miscellaneous recommendations for appointments.
• An updated capital assets policy, as presented by Puckett.
• A memorandum of understanding with the city of Warsaw for snow removal and road maintenance, as requested by Highway Superintendent Steve Moriarty. The commissioners also approved the highway department’s road maintenance list. The county has 1,163 miles of road, the third most in the state.
Bids for sign truck body and chassis were opened by Miner for the highway department. Moriarty will return to the commissioners at their special meeting Dec. 15 to make a recommendation.
Bids received included Rice Ford Lincoln, MSRP $59,835 with a selling price of $49,792; Kerlin Motor Co., $49,288.86; Sorg Nissan, $61,065 with a selling price of $47,388; Country Auto Center, $49,041; BEC Brown Equipment Co., $99,625; W.A. Jones, $97,892; McCormick Motors Inc., $55,435.19; Mike Anderson, $61,090 with a selling price of $47,409.
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