Supervisors recently decided to build two county-owned towers, at the landfill on Rt. 6 and at a site near Lake Monticello, rather than using towers at Carter Mountain and Cohasset. The cost of renting space on those towers proved prohibitive.
But the change requires an up-front investment of $1 million. It results in a new total contract price of $7.6 million.
Cheryl Elliott, emergency services manager, told supervisors that she and her team are contemplating yet another change to the project. Rather than using two towers owned by 52-Eighty at Rt. 656 in Bremo and Rt. 601 in Kents Store, the county may build a 300-foot tower at the former Columbia Elementary School.
The change would save the county a co-location fee of $85,000 and significant rental costs.
Building another tower “won’t be a wash,” warned County Administrator Steve Nichols. But over a “very short number of years” the tower will have paid for itself due to the cost savings of renting space on the other two towers.
That potential change was not included in Wednesday’s decision. If the radio team decides to push for the Columbia school tower, it will come back to the Board for approval.
Supervisor Mozell Booker asked if all the tower building will result in improved cell phone coverage in the county.
Radio system coverage is separate from cell coverage. But Nichols expressed hope that cell providers may sign up to rent space on the county’s towers, which would improve cell coverage. He said the county may be able to offer those providers “an attractive rate.”
Elliott pointed out that there aren’t many cell towers in those areas. She said she hopes cell providers will be interested in snapping up the new locations. But time will tell whether that happens, she said.
The E911 system will provide 95 percent coverage throughout the county as measured inside residential buildings, which is a stark contrast to the current 35 percent coverage experienced county-wide.
Elliott hopes the new system will be fully operation in July 2017.
In other news, supervisors re-appointed:
• Barry Bibb to the Planning Commission for the Cunningham district for a term that will expire May 31, 2020. “He’s been on that board for many years…and I think he’s done a good job,” said Supervisor Don Weaver.
• Howard Lagomarsino to the Planning Commission for the Palmyra district for a term that will expire May 31, 2020. Lagomarsino took over the term of Supervisor Trish Eager when she was elected to the Board of Supervisors at the beginning of the year.
• Shelley Murphy to the Economic Development Authority for a term that will expire May 31, 2020.
