December 17, 2002                                        11:00 A.M.                                               BOARD ROOM

PRESENT: B. Blanchard, M. Robertson, G. Totman

EXCUSED:     P. Penniman, R. Booth 

STAFF: S. Whicher, County Administrator; L. Shurtleff, Director, Emergency Response; J. Wood, County Attorney; E. Marx, Planning Commissioner; U. Mukherjee, Administrative Services Coordinator

GUESTS: D. Kiefer, Board of Representatives 

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting opened at 11: 08 a.m. 

ADDITIONS TO/DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA

None 

PSCS RFP STATUS REPORT

Mr. Wood distributed the following handouts:
1) A draft resolution authorizing the county administrator to enter into an agreement with Motorola for consoles, furniture and a microwave link at the new emergency management center, and
2) Summary of Agreement with Motorola

He said that the agreement with Motorola, which covers the specifics of Phase I, is subject to Board approval. The agreement includes the provision of consoles, console furniture and a temporary microwave link, which will enable the new communications center to become operational. Motorola will provide the equipment for $540,768 and the linkage free of cost. However, Motorola will charge the County $152,277 for the link if the County decides not to proceed to Phase II (the overall multi-site microwave system) with Motorola. The County will have six months from the completion and acceptance of Phase I (which is expected to take a year) to determine whether it will proceed to Phase II with Motorola. The County will receive a discount for Phase II ranging from $1.4 million to $1.5 million if it decides to go for Phase II with Motorola. 

The group briefly discussed the wording of the proposed resolution including naming the center, the dollar amount involved and the capital project reference. It was agreed that the resolution should include the fact that it is necessary to proceed with the project based on the proposals of only one vendor – Motorola – due to the imperative need to keep the current system operable until a new one is in place in another 6/7 years. 

It was MOVED by Mr. Totman, seconded by Ms. Robertson, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to approve the resolution authorizing the county administrator to enter into an agreement with Motorola for consoles, furniture and a microwave link at the new public safety communications center, subject to the changes agreed upon.

REPORT FROM BUILDING COMMITTEE

Mr. Whicher said that Mr. Shurtleff would report to the Board on the building status of the communications center. Construction documents are expected no later than January. DEC wants information on delineation of wetlands. C & S has been asked to confirm that there has been no change since 1991. The Village of Lansing has asked for an agreement on the parking area between the airport and the communications center. 

SWN UPDATE

Mr. Whicher said that a letter from SWN outlining the terms of an agreement for the County to enter into a full system integration partnership with SWN would be available at the next meeting. The agreement cannot be specific to the County and hence the delay in finalization of the draft by SWN. He mentioned that though we had volunteered to participate in the SWN evaluation team, we subsequently declined in view of the eight-week commitment of our representative that it entailed. 

Mr. Marx arrived at this point at 11:40 a.m.

TOWERS UPDATE

Mr. Whicher spoke of the three towers involved in Phase I of the PSCS project. A 100-foot monopole tower has been proposed at the communications center. There will be discussions with Ithaca College in February to finalize the tower details at the IC site. The Mt. Pleasant tower in the Town of Dryden is proposed to be rebuilt. Possibilities of collocation with municipal agencies and the private sector are being looked into. Ms. Blanchard was hopeful of a cordial working relationship with the municipalities on setting up the towers. 

DOT RELOCATION PROJECT 

Mr. Marx said that there has been significant progress in the last couple of weeks. The Town of Dryden passed a resolution approving the proposed site north of the Village. The Village too has agreed to the site. He said he has met the CEO of Dryden Mutual Insurance to allay their fears that the project would hamper their future expansion plans. Mr. Marx said that the project is expected to move forward in early January. The next step is site identification with boundaries, to be followed by actual development work. Ms. Blanchard said that the project would be handed over to TCAD, which would need to create a local development corporation (LDC) in order to accept funds from the state. 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 19 MEETING

It was MOVED by Mr. Totman, seconded by Ms. Robertson, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to approve the November 19 minutes. 

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 12:02 p.m.

Submitted by Ujjal Mukherjee, Administrative Services Coordinator