Luzerne County 911 must replace four emergency communication towers as part of upgrade

Luzerne County 911 must replace four of its emergency communication towers because they don’t meet structural requirements for an upcoming countywide system upgrade, according to the agency’s Executive Director Fred Rosencrans.

Rosencrans said he is confident he won’t have to request additional funding because the upgrade project included a contingency for such unforeseen situations. The county administration also has 911 funding available and was exploring the possibility of using coronavirus relief assistance to cover one of the towers because it would facilitate broadband enhancements in Freeland.

In addition to the one in Freeland, towers in Mountain Top, at the Emergency Management Agency and in the Campbell’s Ledge area of Duryea failed to meet structural requirements, he said.

Towers hold equipment that allow radio communication in the county’s largely forested and mountainous terrain, Rosencrans said.

All 14 existing tower sites had to be evaluated for the new project to ensure they will comply with industry wind and ice-load standards when new equipment is added, he said.

“Any time you make a change to a tower, you have to get the structural analysis done. In the past the restrictions weren’t as stringent,” Rosencrans said, noting towers cannot be grandfathered in under past regulations because they deal with public safety.

The new $25 million upgrade will improve emergency radio communication throughout the 906-square-mile county by boosting coverage that is spotty or nonexistent in some areas, ending radio interference and opening up more channels, officials have said.

The upgrade includes additional communication towers in new locations, updated microwaves and the replacement of a 20-year-old analog radio system with a new digital one for emergency responders to exchange messages. Motorola Solutions Inc. was awarded the radio system contract.

This new licensed microwave system will add loading to the towers, he said.

Before proceeding with construction of the replacement towers, the county had to seek bids to complete core boring and a geotechnical report at all four sites, Rosencrans said.

ECS Mid-Atlantic LLC was hired to perform that work for $25,100, a county contract posting shows. The soil samples and other analysis were completed in recent days — information needed to determine how much concrete is needed for each tower base and other design specifications, Rosencrans said.

He expects the county will publicly seek proposals to construct the four towers in several weeks, bundling them in one package to secure the lowest price.

Rosencrans estimates the towers will end up costing $250,000 to $300,000 each. The Freeland one may be in the $400,000 range because of its size and design, he said.

More towers

Three more towers also will be added to the county system as part of the new project, bringing the total tower count to 17, Rosencrans said.

Some details about these three:

• A tower will be constructed off Harris Pond Road in Ross Township on land the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has agreed to lease to the county at no cost for 25 years, followed by another automatic 25-year renewal, records show. This tower would increase emergency radio coverage in the Back Mountain, Rosencrans said.

The county will publicly advertise the Harris Pond tower construction project after the Luzerne Conservation District finishes its review, he said.

• The county is working on leasing an existing tower in Evans Falls, Wyoming County, to help with coverage in Dallas Township and the Kunkle area.

A draft lease is now under legal review, Rosencrans said.

• The Pennsylvania Game Commission has agreed to give the county a tower it is vacating in the Suscon section of Pittston Township.

Rosencrans expects the countywide upgrade will be operational by the third or fourth quarter of 2021. It includes replacement of the current, 15-year-old unlicensed microwave system and new radios for police, fire and emergency medical responders.

“We’re getting there,” Rosencrans said.