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MEETING MINUTES JUNE 25 2003 - 2:00 P.M. SCOTT HEYMAN CONFERENCE ROOM Present: B. Blanchard, Chair P. Penniman, Vice Chair, R. Booth, M. Robertson, G. Totman Staff: L. Shurtleff, Emergency Response; M. Shakarjian, Administration; S. Whicher, Administration; J. Wood, County Attorney; E. Marx, Planning Commissioner, K. Fuller, Recorder Guests: D. Kiefer, Legislature Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 2:36 p.m. Changes to the Agenda There were no changes to the agenda. Chair's Report Ms. Blanchard, Chair, said information was received from Senator Schumer regarding a Federal communication grant of $4 million that is making its way through committees. It is expected that more will be known by late September whether these funds may be available to assist with radio purchase. Minutes of May 21, 2003 It was MOVED by Mr. Booth, seconded by Ms. Robertson and unanimously approved by members present, to accept the minutes of May 21, 2003, as amended. Emergency Response Center Building Project Ms. Blanchard informed the Committee that Mr. LeMaro, Buildings and Grounds Manager, informed her that the project is proceeding ahead of schedule, and there are no areas of concern at this time. Phase I Project Update Mr. Wood reported minor changes to the contract with Motorola that are required. One change is for the addition of the 911 tower and the other change is for operational system requirements. At this time he is waiting a final cost estimate from Motorola and anticipates other minor changes as the project continues. Mr. Penniman arrived (2:40 p.m.) RESOLUTION NO. - AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR TO ENTER INTO AN AMENDED AGREEMENT FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATION PROJECT MOVED by Mr. Totman, seconded by Ms. Robertson Blanchard to submit the following resolution to the full Board for approval. A voice vote resulted as follows: Ayes - 5, Noes - 0. MOTION APPROVED. WHEREAS, the County is proceeding to construct a new Emergency Response
Center to consolidate countywide dispatching, provide adequate space for
training and equipment maintenance, and serve as an Emergency Operations
Center, and
Ms. Shakarjian reported that the next financial step in this project would involve the phone switch. A brief discussion took place regarding the State Environmental Quality Review process as it relates to the tower-site at the Public Safety Communications building; specifically why grass would be seeded around the tower rather than allowing natural foliage to grow, what if any visual impact the tower may have relative to the Ornithology Lab located on Sapsucker Woods Road, and whether the tower should be painted which may increase maintenance costs in the future. As this information is received the Committee will be updated. State-Wide Network Update/Other Options Mr. Whicher reported no news has been received regarding the State-Wide Network vendor at this time. He expressed his dismay that a vendor has not been chosen and stated that at this time a bid review is underway in Albany of the bids received on the State-Wide Network. Mr. Whicher said he hoped information would be forthcoming within the next several weeks as individuals might not be as readily available to obtain information due to the summer vacation period. The Committee was informed of the plan to utilize a dual-track for the communications project, bringing forth two separate projects in order to be prepared once the State makes a determination, or, in the event one is not made, to have a backup plan begun. One track will be the full 800-mHz trunked radio project that would tie in with the State-Wide Network; the other track is the improvement and stabilization of the microwave network as well as improvements to paging. When an inquiry was made of vendors for the State bid members were informed that both Motorola and Macom were included and that Motorola had been included in several of the bid specification areas. Mr. Whicher said the result of the letter campaign requesting
the Memorandum of Understanding agreement brought attention to the County,
noting that we are still one of the top counties being considered to partner
with, however he stated that as time progresses other counties are also
proceeding ahead with their update plans and there could be a greater number
of counties to possible partner with as well. Mr. Whicher hopes to
have a formal response on the matter by budget time so that the County
can proceed in the best manner.
Capital Project Request Path The Committee discussed the dual-track presently occurring with regard to the communications system. The New York State State-Wide Network track plans for an 800 MHz system, Plan B is to upgrade the present infrastructure and rollout a new microwave backbone and paging system. Also discussed was the utilization of towers for various antennae used for services within the county, noting that each tower is comprised of equipment to provide the most adequate coverage area for each system and to provide access to the microwave loop. For the microwave system to work, the line of sight must be clear between microwave spots in the loop. "Coverage" is not an issue that relates to the microwave loop. Towers may have both a microwave dish for the backbone, plus antennas that are used to reach the portable, mobile, or paging equipment carried by first responders. The frequencies being used and the location of the antenna determine the coverage area. Committee members were informed of the history of the communication system and how the various frequencies are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission so they don't interfere with each other or with the frequencies of other counties. There will be costs to build Plan B first, and later upgrade to the full 800 MHz system. Currently these "phasing costs" have been estimated by the vendor to be about $456,000, not including the cost of pagers. Staff is working with Motorola to refine these numbers. It was reported that there are several teams working on these projects: a technical team will work on reviewing specifications of the systems, a second group will review the financial information. It was noted that State-Wide Network specifications for the system vary from those for the local system and it will take time to review and analyze the information once received. Department of Transportation Ms. Blanchard reported a final draft of the Memorandum of Understanding has been reviewed and is expected to be accepted by the State. She noted that Senator Seward has been able to earmark $3 million dollars toward the project, with $800,000 in the budget line. The next step would be to proceed with the annexation request for the Dryden property once the Memorandum of Understanding is done. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 4:26 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Karen Fuller, Deputy Clerk Tompkins County Home Page
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