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Select Board approves $12,300 purchase from tower reserve to keep emergency repeater operating
Summary
The Select Board authorized a $12,300 purchase from the Verizon tower-lease reserve to buy a refurbished repeater that has been installed and tested, preserving local radio coverage for emergency services.
The Rangeley Select Board voted July 10 to purchase a refurbished radio repeater for $12,300 from the town’s tower-reserve fund, after staff and the police chief reported the unit is already installed and has restored radio reach across the coverage area.
Why it matters: The repeater supports public-safety radio coverage. Buying the existing, tested equipment preserves a working repeater and avoids the immediate downtime that would follow removing the installed unit.
Town staff and the police chief explained that HUSSI Communications had installed a refurbished unit temporarily to troubleshoot earlier coverage problems; the unit has performed well for two to three months. The chief recommended purchasing the unit rather than returning it and risking a loss of coverage. The board was told the tower-reserve fund is financed from the town’s Verizon tower lease; members approved the purchase by motion.
Members also discussed long-term redundancy and future upgrades, noting the town will review tower-lease details with Verizon at a later meeting. The board asked for long-term planning to ensure redundant coverage if a tower or repeater is disabled; staff recommended revisiting that in future planning sessions.
Ending: The purchase preserves current radio coverage and the town will bring Verizon-lease information and redundancy planning back to a future meeting.
