Putnam County wins $648,204 Tower Assistance Fund award for Kell Tower; commissioners authorize signature

Michael White, Putnam County 9-1-1 director, told commissioners the county was awarded $648,204 from the state’s Tower Assistance Fund toward a proposed Kell Tower near the Mason County line on the Route 35 corridor. "We got awarded a tower assistance fund grant for $648,204.00," White said.

The award is part of a roughly $1,485,000 project that White described as necessary to replace aging tower infrastructure and to support both public-safety radio equipment and future county fiber backhaul. White said Putnam currently has six tower sites; some are in poor condition, and one Buffalo site is owned by the Buffalo Fire Department and is "about twice past its life expectancy." He said the county will front project costs and that the Public Service Commission will issue a check once the application is approved.

The county’s presentation noted the grant must be expended by the end of the calendar year and that the remaining project cost—about $800,000—will likely come from the 9-1-1 bank or other county funding. Commissioners asked funding and timing questions and discussed decommissioning the old Buffalo site; White said the fire department plans to relocate or decommission that tower and that the existing shelter building is in poor condition.

Commissioners voted to authorize the commission president to sign the Tower Assistance Fund grant agreement. The motion passed on a unanimous "aye." The signature must be in blue ink for state-auditor acceptance, staff said.

The county did not specify a construction start date; White said the next step after signing is submission to the PSC for approval and issuance of the award check.