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COMMUNICATIONS CAPITAL PROJECTS COMMITTEE OCTOBER 21, 2004 10:00 A.M. COURTHOUSE CONFERENCE ROOM
Present: P. Penniman, Chair; B. Blanchard; M. Robertson; T. Todd, G. Totman Staff: S. Whicher, County Administrator; M. Shakarjian, Administration;
J. Wood, County Attorney, L.
Legislators: T. Joseph, D. Kiefer Guests: J. Vitale, Sheriff's Department, V. Monticello, Ithaca
Police Department, J. Garcia, WHCU, A. Tutino,
Called to Order The meeting was called to order at 10:01 a.m. Additions/Deletions to the Agenda · There were no additions/deletions to/from the agenda. Chair's Report Mr. Penniman reminded members of the Municipal Officer's Meeting taking place on Tuesday, October 26, at 7:00 p.m. Minutes It was MOVED by Ms. Robertson, seconded by Ms. Blanchard to approve the August 19, 2004, and September 16, 2004 minutes as amended. MOTION APPROVED. Grants/Revenue Ms. Shakarjian provided an updated grant-tracking form that included the funds from the US-DOJ COPS Technology Program. RESOLUTION NO. – ACCEPTANCE OF GRANT FROM US-DOJ COPS TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM PROJECT It was MOVED by Ms. Robertson, seconded by Mr. Totman, and unanimously approved by voice vote of members present, to present the following resolution to the full Legislature for approval. WHEREAS, the County has been awarded a technology grant administered
by the US Department of Justice (US-DOJ), Office of Community Oriented
Policing Services (COPS) for the purpose of purchasing equipment related
to the public safety communication project, and
In 2003, the County sought a direct $4 Million Dollar federal appropriation (noncompetitive earmark in Federal bill) for the 2004 budget. The anticipated purpose of appropriation was to support purchasing end-user equipment for the public safety communication system project. The County’s request resulted a direct appropriation of $494,739, and has been administratively assigned to the COPS Technology Law Enforcement Program. Timeline limitations of the COPS program requires the County to expend these funds within 12 months and therefore it is not possible to bank the funds until the purchase of end-user equipment can be made. As a result, the County has requested to use these funds for microwave equipment (to be deployed in 2005) and received approval from the DOJ. Discussion Regarding Use of Grant Funds A discussion regarding how to use grant funds received occurred. It was noted that Legislative members have varied opinions regarding how the funds should be spent and that to date, while many discussions have occurred, no policy decision has been made. In addition, there has been an impression by end user groups that the funds would be used to purchase their equipment. It was discussed that the item in question is the hand-held radios that have previously been purchased by the individuals. Mr. Penniman provided copy of his previous proposal, noting municipalities will require a guideline to assist with future budgeting. Mr. Shurtleff called attention to the scope of the grants received, noting they were presented with the intent to get equipment in the hand of providers; not the system. He expressed concern that future grants will be difficult to obtain and need to be earmarked specifically for system components. Ms. Blanchard said that the funds received to date need to be spent within the year and that the same amount of funds can be allocated at the appropriate time for radio equipment. Mr. Joseph commented that he initially had thought it would be appropriate to pay for all the equipment, however, the end-users agreed that it was more appropriate to wait and see what grants may be available to offset the costs. Ms. Robertson would like to see grant funding covering County end-user equipment first with any additional funding spent on equipment for municipalities. Mr. Shurtleff explained it is important to recognize that without assistance in purchasing equipment it will create difficulty in the logistics of the system. He said municipalities will be forced to seek out the least expensive equipment and may create a situation of having many brands/styles that will require multiple software applications and potential problems related to the differences. If the County were to makes bulk purchases of the radio equipment it will provide standardization of equipment. As an explanation of additional feature requests by municipalities, it was noted that the additional cost to upgrade the basic unit offered would be borne by the municipality/individual requesting it. It was suggested that perhaps assistance could be offered to assist in the grant writing process municipalities would need to apply for funds to cover local costs, recognizing it is difficult to locate an individual with this ability. Ms. Blanchard offered to circulate a policy proposal for consideration by the Committee related to end-user equipment. Phase I Mr. Shurtleff reported all vendors have been coordinated in order to proceed with the cutover. At this time it appears that the necessary modifications required to remove line-noise are working well in the test phase. The changeover should take place within the next several weeks following coordination of all vendors/agencies. Mr. Shurtleff reported that Positron has acknowledged they did not move on upgrades as quickly as they should have; noting the difficulties is the unique system Tompkins County has. Previously Positron has worked with their proprietary database as backup and our system is not one they are familiar with. He said that the Meridian upgrade that was installed as a result of switching problems was at Positron's cost. Testing of all equipment and the alarm systems has been positive. Mr. Shurtleff said staff is anxious to be relocated to the new building and that he is working with Ithaca Police Department to ensure policy and procedures changes are appropriate and workable. Ms. Kiefer inquired about the potential for revenues from the alarm boxes within the City; Mr. Shurtleff has not resolved this issue to date. Phase II Conceptual System Design Overview Ms. Shakarjian provided a PowerPoint presentation of the conceptual system design overview as completed by the project team (copy on file in Legislative office). The result is a configuration recommending 9 tower-sites as the best design for the County. She reported that the coverage deficiency issue in previously noted areas (Towns of Ulysses, Newfield, and Danby) has been reviewed to determine if there are possible solutions to increase the coverage area. Several options were explored to address these problem areas including the possible use of repeaters, moving or adding another tower, and increasing height, however the main difficulty is topography and cannot be easily resolved. Ms. Shakarjian said that the team also reviewed maps to determine if coverage was provided in these areas at a lower than 95% reliability and found that in the Ulysses area coverage was present with a minimum of 85% reliability. In the other deficient areas the valleys are too deep to provide the specified 95/95 coverage/reliability without an additional tower.. Regarding the Route 13 area coverage could be provided by placing a tower outside of the County area and would not easily be connected to the network (estimated cost of $1 million). The Committee was informed that cost for various options would depend on need, with repeater sites costing significantly less; however in Newfield the cost may be an additional tower structure that would be around $1 million. Mr. Shurtleff also stated that reconfiguring the system by changing tower locations would reduce the countywide coverage. Ms. Shakarjian said the South Danby area was not covered through any reconfiguration. In order to cover the southern area another tower in the town at 250 feet is required. It would cover the target areas, however would require lighting, and the additional coverage gained is within Danby State Forest. Total area presently not covered by the conceptual design is less than 3.5 square miles and includes approximately 75 structures (residences, businesses etc) . Adding a tower resulted in a less than 1% gain in coverage. Mr. Wood explained that the proposal is a conceptual design to assist with negotiations with Motorola and may not ultimately be part of the system. He said it is important to recognize it is subject to change. In addition, there cannot be 100 percent coverage regardless of the placement of towers. Mr. Shurtleff spoke of SSI's work regarding coverage projections, noting they have been to verify Motorola's information at the portable and mobile levels. He said upon receipt of the final projections maps from Motorola, the County will hold them to the area indicated to have 95 percent reliability. He said upon completion of the system a determination should be made to determine the best course of action to achieve coverage in areas that do not receive the 95 percent signal. Mr. Whicher said the 911 Committee has reviewed it extensively and indicated that the proposal was the most logical; however, they also stated the desire for assurance of review of the areas not receiving the 95 percent signal strength. Mr. Proto inquired whether the State was approached with regard to any work done within the State Forest. He recalled that several years ago the State was amenable to having a tower erected within the forest to provide emergency service coverage. In addition, Mr. Proto expressed dismay and concern on the lack of coverage in Danby, stating it has been an ongoing problem over the years. Mr. Penniman stated that the goal is to cover as much of the County as possible, within a reasonable cost; with small gaps in coverage that provides an objective view of the areas that have gaps. He stated that there cannot be a guarantee of no gaps in the system. With regard to the State forest, Mr. Whicher stated that the Speedsville area is covered well, the South Danby area is primarily State forest and relocating towers will still create holes in the system. He stated that when the State-wide Network is developed it may fill in the areas that have gaps. Mr. Proto stated that while he understands there will not be total coverage throughout the County, feels that perhaps if the 95 percent coverage is not guaranteed an real property assessment credit adjustment should be applied. Mr. Joseph emphasized that until the system is built the actual gaps are unknown; in other counties it has been shown to be possible to utilize radios in areas that have been indicated as having a gap. Mr. Proto inquired what would occur if a tower failed and was informed by Mr. Shurtleff that due to the nature of simulcast the chances of receiving a signal is still very good; however the signal would be reduced in the area of malfunction. Officer Monticello inquired whether the topic of building penetration has been addressed. Mr. Shurtleff stated he has asked Motorola for projected in-building signal strength and indicated the signal strength should provide strong in-building coverage within the City of Ithaca, however there is no guarantee in all buildings due to various building construction. Mr. Todd was excused at this time (11:30 a.m.). Timeline Ms. Shakarjian indicated that the 911 Committee, Environmental Management Council, has been reviewing information related to the proposals and have not had significant concerns other than potential municipal expenses associated with the project. Mr. Penniman is working on the external coordination of notifying municipal officials. In addition discussions will be held with the State regarding the project, public meetings will occur, and the environmental review process will take place. Ms. Shakarjian stressed that new information is continually being provided and will require constant review and due diligence. RESOLUTION NO. SUPPORT OF CONCEPTUAL PUBLIC
SAFETY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
It was MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Totman. Mr. Shurtleff stressed the project team will continue to review information and attempt to complete coverage throughout the County. Sheriff Meskill stated that no formal vote had been taken at the 911 Committee regarding the acceptance of the system proposed. In addition, he expressed concerns related to the mobile data system's lack of functionality, and also had concerns related to in-building penetration and the deficient areas of the county that are heavily traveled and gorge areas. Mr. Penniman said that there will not be enough speed to provide the pictures and graphic information, however basic service is expected to be restored. Ms. Robertson indicated that a list of concerns may be in order so that they are addressed. She feels that it is necessary to prioritize the need and be cognizant of the cost versus the gain received. Ms. Robertson also stressed that at no time has the County provided assurance that the entire County will have coverage 100 percent of the time. Consensus was reached to include the concerns noted: · Adequate in-building coverage is desired.
Mr. Penniman stated it would be helpful to have a joint meeting with Public Safety to discuss the benefit of the technology of the mobile data system. Mr. Whicher stated that the initial proposal was looking at an integrated system which was determined would not be available at this time. He has indicated that with the technological advances being made it may be available in the future. Mr. Whicher said at this time the important piece is to get the main communication system improved and the integrated pieces will be considered at the appropriate time. He stressed that it is important to be certain about what the workload requirements are rather than attempt to put equipment in place that may not handle it. Sheriff Meskill said he is concerned that it appears that the possibility of correcting the deficiencies in the mobile data system may not be resolved for several years. He stated without the system in place it requires more time and effort on dispatchers, disallows a rapid response to the public, and requires more time spent on paperwork for the road patrol officers. Mr. Wood stated that it is important to understand that the County intends to negotiate with Motorola for the best system possible. He said regard to the system, it is done in two steps with the first being the microwave system. Although it is hoped that the negotiations will include land mobile radio. It was noted that the funding to include the data system is built into the capital project and that all construction of the system requires planning for the data systems and future uses. Mr. Totman expressed his belief that the users should have a voice as they are the ones familiar with the needs. A voice vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Ayes - 4; Noes - 0; Excused - 1 (Totman). MOTION CARRIED. WHEREAS, Tompkins County is committed to the replacement of the
current communication system in use by public safety (fire, EMS, and police)
officials and other government agencies countywide, and
Executive Session It was MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Ms. Robertson, and unanimously approved by voice vote of members present to enter into an Executive Session to discuss contractual issues. Executive session began 12:04 p.m. On motion, regular session ended at 12:20 p.m. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 12:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Karen Fuller, Deputy Clerk.
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