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Committee discusses $400,000 radio tower to improve western-county coverage and possible state lease for county site
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Summary
The committee reviewed a sheriff request for a Gravel Hill radio tower (estimated $400,000) to improve dispatch coverage and discussed a proposed lease from the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network to place a tower on county property on Morrison Street; staff was asked to circulate lease/user-agreement documents to law enforcement and administration for review before August.
The Travestal County Budget and Finance Committee discussed a sheriff’s department proposal to construct a radio tower in the Gravel Hill area to improve radio coverage on the county’s western end and reviewed a separately proposed state lease that could place a tower on county-owned land.
The chair said steering committee members had recommended moving the project to bid and that the estimated construction cost was ‘‘around 400,000,’’ noting any expenditures would likely come from the 2627 budget and that remaining ARPA funds could be applied. Committee members asked questions about timing and funding and the chair said bids and final costs would determine the exact appropriation.
A committee member who reviewed a lease proposal reported the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (TACN) had identified a county parcel on Morrison Street as a candidate site and submitted a proposed lease. The member said the draft lease included a 45‑year term (which the state’s legal counsel described as negotiable) and that TACN’s user agreement would provide local agencies the ability to use the tower. ‘‘I basically asked on behalf of Travestal County, what are we getting out of it? … They said we do have a user agreement,’’ the member reported, and requested staff circulate the lease and user agreement to county administration and the law enforcement committee for review.
Why it matters: Improved radio coverage could materially affect emergency response and public safety operations on the western side of the county. A state-built tower on county property could reduce local construction costs but raises questions about lease terms, local user rights and long-term obligations.
Committee direction and next steps: The chair asked that the proposed lease and related documents be sent to Miss Amy and to members of the law enforcement committee; law enforcement was scheduled to meet the following Monday and will consider the documents. The member who raised the lease noted TACN asked for a decision timeline ahead of August; staff agreed to circulate the materials so law enforcement and administration can vet compatibility with the county’s radio systems and recommend next steps.
No formal motion to approve the project or lease was made during the meeting; the committee treated the discussion as preliminary and as instruction to staff to gather and circulate documentation.
