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Board orders appraisal, approves liaison as county presses ahead on first-responder radio upgrades
Summary
Facing limited publicly owned tower sites, Franklin County authorized an appraisal of a permitted tower parcel and approved hiring communications consultant David Snow as an hourly project liaison to coordinate construction and implementation of a first-responder radio network.
Franklin County commissioners in a Feb. 4 consent vote authorized staff to order an appraisal of a permitted tower parcel on Highway 65 and to hire a communications project liaison as part of a multi-site first-responder radio upgrade.
Fiscal Manager Erin Griffith told the board Triumph funding for tower construction requires towers be on publicly owned land; county staff identified a 100-by-100 parcel owned by Walter Armistead Investments that has passed initial design and permitting. Staff recommended an appraisal of the site to establish a negotiating benchmark and to inform discussions with other property owners. Commissioners approved the appraisal as part of consent action items.
Griffith also proposed contracting hourly with communications consultant David Snow — recommended by staff because of his 25 years of communications experience and familiarity with local volunteer fire departments — to serve as a project liaison during planning and implementation. Snow’s role would bridge departmental coordination, system engineers and communications contractors.
The county is also working with Omnicom and tower provider SBA Towers on site identification and has asked Omnicom to complete site analysis work; staff said two mobile command centers will be included in design specifications to address coverage gaps in forested areas without road or utility access.
"If the county owns the land, the county may then lease space to private carriers in addition to the towers supporting the first responder radio equipment," Griffith said, outlining revenue and lease implications. She noted some state-managed lands (FWC-managed parcels) have declined to host private carriers and that county-owned parcels would give the county flexibility to lease additional carrier space and potentially generate revenue earmarked for economic development under Triumph rules.
Action record: Board approved the appraisal order and the hourly consultant arrangement as part of consent items 1–9 (vote 5-0). Staff said Williams Communications expected to mobilize mid-February to begin interim patchwork pending construction of the permanent sites.
