County schedules tower tensioning and weighs lighting options; attorney to draft letter about AT&T contract

Edgar County officials reviewed next steps for work on a county communications tower and discussed whether to proceed with terminating a contract with AT&T.

Josh (Speaker, Edgar County official) told the board the second company contracted for tower work was expected to be on site to tension cables or guy wires “to make sure it was safe” before additional work proceeds. Josh said tensioning is the first priority because improper tension could cause structural issues.

Josh and other staff described two quotes the county received: one for minimal work that excludes lighting and one that includes lighting and additional protective measures. Dan (Speaker, Edgar County official) said the larger quote originally included recommended but not required items such as cable protection from falling ice and extra grounding; staff asked the contractor to remove optional items to produce a pared-down quote. Dan referenced a figure of about $189,000 in an earlier estimate but said staff had revised the quote to omit nonessential items.

Josh recommended taking the combined option that includes lighting because it is “gonna be a lot cheaper now” and provides synergy if the contractor is doing multiple tasks at once. Board members discussed coordinating the work so crews remove old equipment, install new wiring and lighting, and perform tensioning in a single mobilization.

Separately, county attorney Philip (Speaker, Edgar County official) told the board his office could draft a letter to AT&T if the board wants to move forward with terminating the county’s contract with AT&T. Philip said he could prepare the letter and distribute it to the board for signature and asked board members to call him to coordinate.

No formal vote or contract award was recorded. Board members instructed staff to coordinate scheduling for tower tensioning and to circulate contractor quotes and a draft letter to AT&T for consideration.