Posted: 11/20/07
Keeping up with communications technology a challenge for county
By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
Communications, and keeping up with technology trends were two topics the Houston County Board of Commissioners discussed with County Sheriff Doug Ely and Chief Deputy Scott Yeiter during the Nov. 13 board meeting.
800 MHz system
According to Ely, two separate regional boards he and Yeiter sit on, are reviewing the pros and cons of a new 800 megahertz emergency communications system that is currently being put into use in other parts of the state. Houston County has been working with Fillmore, Winona, and Goodhue counties on determining if a 800 MHz system would be a good fit for the hilly topography of Southeastern Minnesota.
Mn/DOT currently has four radio towers located in the county, which provide fairly adequate coverage for the VHF system that is being utilized by the county, State Highway Patrol, and municipal police, ambulance, and fire departments. According to Ely, the VHF system seems to work better here in the hills and valleys than the 800 MHz digital radio system the government wants to have in place state-wide.
Some history
In 2004, the legislature passed the Homeland Security Bill, directing the Minnesota Departments of Transportation (MnDOT), Public Safety (DPS), and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to plan for, and implement, an 800MHz digital trunked radio system that could be shared by all units of government.
Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) is the interoperable public safety communication system that is being installed statewide.
Originally, the process began in 2002 with the project set up in six phases across the state. Elements in the Governorís recommendation included $1.95 million per year from the 911 Fund to MnDOT to operate phase three of ARMER. Houston County is part of this phase, a $180 to $220 million project that began construction in 2004 in the St. Cloud and Rochester State Patrol Districts.
An additional $1.95 million from the 911 Fund is recommended for fiscal year 2010 and beyond to operate one additional phase. There is also a one-time appropriation of $1.85 million to the DPS to complete detailed design and planning of the remaining phases of the system.
Another one-time appropriation of $3.75 million to the DPS is for use by MnDOT for site acquisition and site development work for the future phases while the final design is completed to ensure the project can be completed in a timely manner. The state has 146 existing towers, and a total of 125 new towers are proposed.
Four new towers in county
The proposed construction of four new towers in Houston County would accommodate a system designed to provide more reliable radio service for state, county, and local law enforcement and emergency services. Construction would begin during the late fall of 2007 or spring of 2008 at location sites selected in Jefferson, Mayville, Money Creek, and Spring Grove Townships.
A public hearing was held on August 8 to give area citizens the opportunity to discuss and learn more about the statewide project to improve public safety communications. The four proposed locations for new towers in the county were presented at the August public hearing.
"Weíve got about $60,000 to conduct studies in the four-county area on where additional towers should be located," Ely explained during the Nov. 13 county board meeting. "We are also working with government agencies in Wisconsin, along the Mississippi River. Even with the proposed towers, weíre still going to have some dead spots along Highway 26. But towers in Wisconsin could cover those areas, and several of our towers in Minnesota could cover some of the dead spots in Wisconsin along the east side of the river."
"The options arenít cheap," Yeiter added. "This is something the county needs to be planning for. We need to be putting money aside now, other wise weíll be looking at bonding."
Ely and Yeiter will keep the county board informed as to any new developments with the 800 MHz program.
In-car cameras
Yeiter also reported the in-car video cameras that have become such a vital tool of law enforcement are becoming obsolete.
"Weíre still using the old VCR cameras, that have been getting banged around, exposed to dust, heat, and cold. Most of us have replaced our old VCR players with CD players in our homes. Well, weíre still using the old system and weíre spending a lot trying to keep it (the old system) operational. Weíre trying to find some type of grant to help us get up to speed with digital technology, but so far, we havenít found any," Yeiter said. The chief deputy added he wrote a grant for $45,000 to pay for digital in-car cameras, but the county was not awarded the grant.
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