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Radio tower project nears December cutover but Yuba site needs roughly $250,000 in extra civil work
Summary
Project manager reported server and rack installs, fiber splicing nearly complete at several sites, and a projected system cutover the week of Dec. 15; the Yuba tower site requires an estimated $250,000 change order for retaining walls and civil work, likely to consume most contingency funds and require board approval.
The committee received an update on the county radio tower project: county staff said DFSI servers and some radio equipment have been installed at the courthouse, radio racks and some alarm/DC wiring work are underway, and fiber work is nearly complete at several sites (Boaz, Westport, and Richland Center).
A notable cost issue emerged at the Yuba tower site, where staff said additional civil work and a retaining wall will require a change order of approximately $250,000. Staff said contingency funds are available but that this change order could consume most of the contingency. Committee members were told that the civil work will take several months and that a formal change order will be brought to the county board for approval.
Other project details: antenna work was reported to start in mid‑August (as scheduled earlier in the project timeline), and the contractor provided a timeline that shows cutover of the system during the week of Dec. 15. Staff reported that Gencom has submitted change orders that the project manager is reviewing and asking Gencom for additional information. Fiber splicing remains to be finished on some sites.
Staff also reported concerns about the radios/subscriber plan and budget. The project originally budgeted roughly $222,000 for subscriber radios; staff said that line may be substantially reduced because of change orders and other costs, and the county will finalize the subscriber plan in an upcoming meeting with Mike Dane before taking that plan to the Public Safety Committee next month.
Committee direction and next steps: staff said they will document change orders, conclude fiber splicing, finalize the subscriber plan with Mike Dane, and bring any required change‑order approvals to the county board. Staff also said a written monthly report will be prepared going forward that lists change orders and contingency use.
Ending: With the Yuba site civil work pending and contingencies under pressure, committee members said the project will be monitored closely and any board action on change orders will be scheduled once the project manager has final cost figures.
