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Lunenburg shifts toward county-built towers for radio system to avoid high lease costs
Summary
Faced with monthly lease rates of $2,000–$4,000 at several tower sites, the board authorized ARPA funds to construct two towers—one at Victoria Fire and Rescue Station 7 and one at Gary Road—to support Project LUIS and reduce long-term rental costs.
County staff told the Lunenburg Board of Supervisors on Feb. 10 that vendor responses for the Project LUIS radio communications system identified tower-lease costs higher than anticipated, with monthly rents estimated at $2,000–$4,000 for vendor-owned sites. Rodney Newton and consultant Cheryl Giggetts reported that one existing tower at the Lunenburg Correctional Facility would be available without rental cost, while the Gary Road tower failed the load study and could not be used for the planned equipment.
Newton and consultant Cheryl Giggetts told the board that building county-owned towers—estimated at about $400,000 apiece—would allow the county to offer rental space to others and reduce recurring lease expenses. The board voted unanimously to use federal ARPA funds to build two towers, contingent on site discussions with Southside Electric Cooperative and final negotiation of terms.
Newton said some funding for tower rental had been included in the L3Harris contract and that the county would explore additional funding sources if it chose not to allocate more ARPA funds to the project. Board members framed the decision as a public-safety priority because first responders, school buses and public-works vehicles rely on the radio system for communications.
