Posted by Ben on 8/22/2008, 4:18 pm
The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors agreed Wednesday to solicit bids for tower work needed to move the 800-megahertz communications project forward.
Lt. John Reynolds of the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office, project manager for the new communications project, presented the board with a timeline detailing the tower construction plan.
Reynolds said three towers - the Memorial water tank, McClelland and Hancock sites - will need to be completely constructed, and seven other sites will also need additional work.
If the bidding process goes smoothly, Reynolds expected to have a contract signed in the first part of November with a completion date of May 2009. Sealed bids are due at the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors offices no later than Oct. 8, at 4:30 p.m.
The board unanimously voted to allow chairman Delbert King to sign the notice of hearing and letting. Reynolds said that preferably one company would bid on all of the work at the sites.
The tower work is necessary to support equipment for the new 800mhz radio system, which will allow all area law enforcement and emergency personnel to communicate with each other. The system design was completed in June; and once the tower sites are complete, the system will be installed.
Reynolds said a realistic completion time for the entire system would be in the third-quarter of 2009.
"We are hoping sooner, but we don't know how realistic that is," he said. "A lot will depend on the winter construction season this year."
The Board of Supervisors approved an $8 million bid from Motorola in December for fixed equipment, such as radio equipment attached to communication towers and computer consoles for the communications center.
An additional $5.6 million in loan notes were approved to refurbish the communications center in the Pottawattamie County Courthouse and upgrade communications towers. Bids on hand-held radios and car radios have yet to be obtained.
Message Thread:
« Back to thread