Emergency radio system RFP being finalized

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The committee working on the project to improve the Piscataquis County emergency radio system is getting ready to finalize the request for proposals, County Manager Mike Williams told the county commissioners during a meeting on Tuesday morning.

The 50-plus page document should be finished by May 14 so the commissioners can review the RFP before their next regular meeting on Tuesday, May 20 when a vote could be taken. If approved then the RFP could be sent out the following day.

“That starts the whole process, they have bidder meetings, pre-construction meetings,” Williams said, saying Project Manager Chris Lavoie is scheduled to be at the May 20 meeting.

The emergency radio project bid could be voted on at either the second July or first August meeting of the commissioners.

Since 2020 Piscataquis County and municipal emergency officials have been working to update outdated infrastructure with the county’s radio communications for emergency personnel. Many of the problems stem from the hilly and mountainous terrain of the region and aging infrastructure.

After delays due to questions on funding sources, the endeavor is being overseen by a six-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.

County officials have been discussing funding options. Last fall, consultant Normand Boucher Communications Design Consulting Group of Barrington, New Hampshire said seven new tower sites would cost $2,695,000 above the $4.2 million already awarded in federal monies for radio infrastructure, to bring the project to about $6.9 million total, an amount that still needs to be finalized. 

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 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.

In other business, county officials met with Maine County Commissioners Association President Andre Cushing, R-Hampden. Cushing, who serves in Penobscot County, said he is meeting with all other county commissioners to encourage these groups to be more active with the association and to strengthen communication with partner organizations such as the sheriff’s, county administrators and Maine Municipal Association.

The association has been looking at how county and municipal governments can partner to handle challenges. Cushing mentioned how Cumberland County is contracting with communities for assessing services and in York County a county fire administrator has been hired to help local departments with training and record keeping.

Closer to Piscataquis County, a regional fire and EMS district has been established in Howland in Penobscot County.

“They came to the county when they reached a point where they were trying to figure out the logistics and who was going to take care of the legal work,” Cushing said. Penobscot County officials worked with a law firm to develop bylaws and charter and hire a fire consultant. Participating towns together hired a chief.

“It seems to be working well not only on the fire and EMS to provide those services to the towns in that region but also starting discussions on other things that they could do,” Cushing said, such as potentially contracting with the county for tax billing. 

“Communities that always had a strong public support are facing an aging population like many of us are seeing and they just don’t have folks that can step up and do those jobs,” he said. 

“We just want to help them find those connections,” Cushing said. “Not that we want to tell towns what to do, but we want to say ‘here are some solutions what do you folks think you want to work together on?’”

The commissioners also approved to serve as the government entity for a state program to repair a trail in Elliottsville Township leading to a trestle.

“The hope is to get that trail repaired this summer,” Bureau of Parks and Lands Recreation Specialist Bill Beeaker said. He said property owner American Forest Management has agreed to supply the gravel and culverts which would more than satisfy the 10 percent match requirement in order to receive state funding. State monies would go through the county as is done for four snowmobile grants annually.

Once the ground dries then two contractors will take a look and give estimates, Beeaker said.