I am so tired of this............ Today I was told an article was published Tuesday in the Blair newspaper regarding a radio system upgrade for Washington County. Along with this article has come the incessant bantering of certain persons on Facebook regarding this project in a completely negative and childish sense, without any real facts to back up their claims. Let me assist those of you who care about understanding what were looking at and the facts behind this. The ORIGINAL Washington County Radio System was built and completed on time and under budget in 2006, (more on this later, as-built and expenditure documentation available at the project managers office). If people would only ask those who were intimately involved with this project, you could get any amount of information desired. This system started out at software version 6.5. We are now, after several software upgrades (in which we were accused of not keeping up with) at v7.11. The next step for us coming up in 2015 is v7.14. This is where it gets interesting. Beyond v7.14, our radio dispatch consoles are no longer supported. In fact they are at end of life now regarding availability of parts, etc.. In 2017, our base station radios at the tower sites will be at their sunset too. This necessitated the exploration of how to bring our system into the future. In May of 2013 (long before any election process began), we started to look at ways on how we could upgrade the big ticket hardware of the system. It was anticipated that Douglas County was going to upgrade all of their major hardware and relocate their 911 Center for their future needs. Also, Dodge County/Fremont 911 personnel were exploring the possibility of joining the regional radio system as the equipment they were using was beyond end of life. With that, we went to our Motorola representatives to see how these upgrades and purchases could be accomplished via power purchasing. With everyone involved, it was anticipated that large discounts could be achieved if we all joined together and bought these needed components collectively. Without further ado, Washington County was to realize a savings of nearly $700,000.00 if we participated, so naturally we had Motorola quote the project. Since that time, Douglas Countys bond issue for their part of the project did not pass, and Fremont/Dodge County is on hold until they hire a consultant to explore their options. Washington County can still participate with the cost savings as quoted. That is why this is being considered. It was never Washington Countys intent to upgrade merely so Dodge County could participate. Yes, we would have received some benefit (as they would have) by sharing system coverage and sharing prime site resources. Washington County has benefitted from the beginning by sharing system coverage with Douglas County, which saved us from building two additional tower sites, and all the associated initial and on-going costs. With all of that being said, that is what is going on. Im going to cover some more facts before I close. Here goes: Back to the 2006 completion date. Let it be known that the mobile data project was NEVER a part of the original project. A grant was applied for that project in late November 2007 and awarded in early 2008. Several delays on that project occurred due to software incompatibility between two different products and was finally resolved in June 2013 when Washington County started to share resources with Douglas County on their computer aided dispatch system (CAD). The delay in getting the EMS units in the county outfitted properly was completely MY fault, due to an extended illness and death in my family. By the way, to set the record straight, we didnt get the rescue squads outfitted until September of 2014, not July as stated by others. As far as talk in on a hand held radio system coverage in lower Arlington, that has been an issue since the inception of the new system. With 99.2% portable radio coverage county-wide, I feel really bad about that very small area being our .08% problem. I wish it wasnt, but it is. I welcome anyone who wants to attend the December 9th County Board meeting for further discussion and insight regarding the upgrade project. In the meantime, just remember that spreading falsehoods, suspicion, and innuendos are counter-productive to everyone, and will not win an election in 2018. Thanks! P.S. How come the 9th Commandment applies to some, and not to others? Just a thought........
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 04:41:28 +0000