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Commissioners accept $750,000 Homeland Security grant to add northwest county communications tower
Summary
Harrison County accepted a $750,000 ETCOG/Homeland Security grant and approved an interlocal agreement to build a new communications tower in northwest Harrison County to improve radio coverage and support local emergency services.
County staff presented and the Commissioners Court approved on Oct. 8 an interlocal agreement with the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) to accept a $750,000 Homeland Security grant contract to build a communications tower in northwest Harrison County.
Mister Mays, project lead on the county's radio-communications upgrade, told the court the tower will fill a coverage gap in the northwest corner of the county. The project is a multi-party effort involving ETCOG, TxDOT, Motorola and other partners; staff said some towers will be provided or upgraded at no cost to the county and that paperwork and lease agreements remain to be finalized with third-party tower owners. "This is gonna give us the ability to put that tower up in the Northwest corner," Mays said.
The court discussed recurring costs and installation elements for the broader radio upgrade; staff said a $5,000 installation fee for one segment will be covered by the Motorola budget, and recurring monthly fiber charges for two lines associated with the radio upgrade were estimated at $149 a month. Commissioners voted to approve the interlocal agreement and accept the grant; the motion passed unanimously.
The construction and integration of the new tower are scheduled to proceed under the joint-management terms of the interlocal agreement and grant; staff said the project will improve interoperability for county fire departments and emergency services once equipment and site preparation are complete.
