County staff briefed the Board of County Commissioners on a revised schedule to accelerate the NextGen countywide radio upgrade during the Feb. 24 budget work session.

The buff package attached to the commissioners’ packet contains a revised project detail sheet that staff said consolidates what had been separate Phase 2 and Phase 3 tower work into a “system completion” phase. The draft schedule in attachment 2 shows a notice to proceed in July 2014, tower construction completed in October 2015, operational status in November 2015 and final acceptance testing beginning in May 2016.

Bob Kelly, a county communications staff member who answered commissioner questions at the meeting, explained the ISSI gateway proposal: “The ISSI Gateway is essentially… a computer that sits in our 911 center,” he said, adding the configuration would allow three direct connections to other radio systems, including the state 700 MHz system and neighboring counties.

Commissioners asked about site acquisition and the possibility of private partners erecting towers at little or no cost. Kelly said staff had worked with counsel to draft leases that would allow landowners to host a county tower and permit third-party commercial arrangements that might reduce county cost, but he cautioned that site agreements were not yet finalized.

Why it matters: The radio upgrade is a public-safety infrastructure project; accelerating tower construction and adding an ISSI gateway affect interoperability, coverage and when emergency services can rely on the new system.

Staff said the revised schedule increases short-term capital needs in the draft CIP and that local budgeting will be adjusted once lease arrangements and final contract terms are negotiated.