Grant opportunities could help bring down $6.9M emergency radio system cost
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Last month Piscataquis County officials heard an update from consultant Normand Boucher of Communications Design Consulting Group of Barrington, New Hampshire on the emergency radio system project. He said seven new tower sites would cost $2,695,000 above $4.2 million already awarded in federal monies for radio infrastructure to bring the project to about $6.9 million total.
Since 2020 Piscataquis County and municipal emergency officials have been working to update outdated infrastructure and long-running problems with the county’s radio communications for emergency personnel. After delays due to questions on funding sources, the endeavor is now being overseen by a 6-member committee. There also is a 15-member subcommittee including town managers, fire chiefs, police department members, emergency medical service providers, and representatives of CPKC Railroad.
There is no guarantee that funds will be secured, but grant possibilities could reduce the near $2.7 million cost which may go out to a bond if the county commissioners decide to go that route.
The Piscataquis County Economic Development Council will look for grant opportunities, Executive Director Angela Arno told the commissioners during a meeting on the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 3.
“I need to look at what you have for a grant and then we can do a grant search to see how we can do some gap funding, depending on where your money is flowing in from, what we can match to it, and what is our there for programs that will fit this project,” Arno said.
“I just wanted to pop in and say we are really happy to assist in that way and any way that we can to alleviate the need for a bond,” she said. Arno said she will keep in contact about the funding search process.
“It’s not a promise that we will find something but we will dig,” she said.
Last year $4.2 million for the radio project was part of a U.S. Senate Appropriations bill championed by U.S. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins of Maine. The award was the largest of seven projects included in the part of the legislation that would give $7.6 million to police and other public safety agencies in Maine.
Last month Boucher said the system design is being finalized. He said the project request for proposals is essentially finished, and would be approved by the commissioners before being released by the end of the year.
Boucher said there could be site-specific conditions that may be discovered later and would alter the project costs. These include a need for specialized foundation design due to the soil, materials prices varying due to market conditions, road installation, and erosion prevention measures.
He suggested a bond initiative for the $2.7 million, and said the request for proposals procurement phase will identify the exact cost breakdown.
The county paid Communications Design Consulting Group $27,000 for a feasibility study on radio communications, which was first presented in November 2021. Before the feasibility study, Boucher spent months meeting with members of area fire and police departments and toured sites around the region, including locations of about a dozen transmitters throughout Piscataquis County. Many of the problems stem from the hilly and mountainous terrain of the region and/or aging and out of date infrastructure.
In other business, Sheriff Bob Young said dispatch has been having difficulty trying to find ambulances to respond to calls. “It’s a significant problem that I don’t know what the solution is,” he said.
“Our dispatchers are calling all over the place trying to get ambulances to respond and people are waiting a significant time, 30-40 minutes, an hour for an ambulance to respond,” Young said.
“It’s awful that people have to wait for an ambulance,” Commissioners Chair Andrew Torbett said.
Register of Deeds Gail Clark mentioned she experienced a 45-minute ambulance wait with her mother.
“In Brownville I have to give kudos to the fire department, they responded in 10 minutes for the call,” Clark said
Torbett said he seconded Clark’s praise of the Brownville Fire Department. Speaking of a call involving his father, “It seemed like as soon as the phone was down Brownville was there.”
Register of Probate Donna Peterson said “Our office has again this year decided instead of exchanging gifts for Christmas we’re going to take up a collection of items to bring over to Partners for Peace. They said they can use gift cards for local grocery stores or gas stations and they can always use toiletries and that kind of thing.”
Peterson said anyone else wishing to contribute to the organization serving people affected by domestic abuse and working to end personal, institutional, and cultural violence can drop items off at her office over the next few weeks.