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Commission authorizes $1.49 million SPLOST-funded microwave replacement to modernize public-safety radio links
Summary
The board approved replacing the county’s 20+-year-old public-safety microwave network with a $1,492,327 Motorola system connecting towers across Liberty and neighboring counties; work is expected to take 9–12 months and will be funded from SPLOST.
The Liberty County Commission authorized staff to proceed with a $1,492,327 proposal to replace the county’s aging public-safety microwave network that links radio towers and the 911 center to the regional radio core. The project, presented by the public-safety technical lead, calls for replacement equipment on four towers (three in Liberty County and one in the neighboring county) and is intended to restore reliable IP links used by police, fire, EMS and the 911 centers.
Presenters explained the microwave system consists of the round dish antennas and associated electronics that relay voice and data between towers and ultimately to the radio core in Chatham County. The existing system is more than 20 years old, suffering component failure that requires vendor intervention and board‑level replacement rather than repair. The proposed work includes tower climbs, removal and replacement of dishes and in‑building electronics; the timeline shown by staff is 9–12 months from start to full operation, with a brief equipment commissioning window of several weeks once hardware is on site.
Funding for the purchase and installation will come from SPLOST (sales-tax) project funds. Staff noted coordination needs with the communications licensing authority and timing issues to limit interruption to radio traffic during cutovers. Motorola technical staff were introduced at the meeting and available for questions. Commissioners voted to proceed; the transcript records the board approving the purchase and directing staff to sign and proceed with procurement steps.
No specific vote tally was recorded in the meeting transcript excerpt; staff said the project will require tower technicians, temporary outage planning, FCC/communications coordination, and multi‑agency scheduling to limit service interruptions.
