County broadband tower damaged in Lee/Elk fires; repair quotes near $95,000 and commissioners plan public discussion of broadband strategy

County broadband staff reported that the Power Park (County Road 127) fixed‑wireless tower, which supports roughly two sectors and about 24 subscribers, experienced equipment damage during the Lee and Elk fires and subsequent conditions.

Broadband staff described structural findings after a site inspection: the steel tower and mounting platform remained intact but most solar panels, battery cabinets and radio equipment were burned or melted. The county reached out for vendor estimates: one vendor estimated roughly $29,761.23 to repair the solar/power system and another quoted about $65,502.73 to replace radio equipment, for a combined estimate in the range of about $95,000. Vendors reported equipment lead times of four to eight weeks, plus an estimated eight to nine weeks for deployment after equipment arrival.

Commissioners and staff discussed immediate and longer‑term options. Staff noted many subscribers had already experienced service outages for more than a month and some may have adopted alternative services such as low‑earth‑orbit satellite. Commissioners recommended scheduling a public meeting or work session that would include affected subscribers and the county’s ISP partner (Cimarron) to gather input on priorities and alternatives before committing county funds. One commissioner said the county should consider whether continued investment in fixed‑wireless towers is the best use of county broadband funds, given advances in satellite services and the high cost of maintaining many remote towers.

No formal vote was taken to authorize repairs at the meeting; commissioners asked broadband staff to convene subscriber and partner input and to return with recommendations on whether to repair this tower, shift subscribers to other technologies, or prioritize fiber expansion where feasible.

Why it matters: The tower outage interrupted service for subscribers in a remote area and exposed tradeoffs between repairing isolated fixed‑wireless sites and investing in broader fiber or alternative technologies. Estimated repair costs and multi‑month lead times suggest a multi‑stakeholder decision about cost, reliability and long‑term county broadband strategy.

What’s next: Broadband staff will convene a public outreach session for affected subscribers, invite Cimarron (the primary ISP partner) and present options and cost/benefit considerations to commissioners for a follow‑up decision.