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  • County road department needs to upgrade radios in equipment

By Rebecca Dopp
Times-News Correspondent


Lynn Ingram, Assistant County Road Supervisor, informed the county commissioners of a need to upgrade the radios in their trucks.
"The Federal government has changed the band on their radio systems, they've narrowed it, so we have to have some new radios," he said.
They had obtained some of the radios through Homeland Security, but were seven short to go into some of the different trucks they had including dump trucks and pick-up trucks.
"We didn't have enough money to get all that we needed with the Homeland Security money," Ingram said. "We didn't have this in our budget, but we're hoping to put this under 'Other'."
They received a quote from Peak Mobile in Salt Lake City, a company the county had used before to obtain radios, and they are under state bid.
Commissioner Rick Carlton asked if the radios were all going to be the same brand, Kinwoods. Ingram said they had previously purchased Motorolas, but the new ones will be Kinwoods and in the future, they will all be the same as they are replaced. Some older outfits that are not used will not have their radios replaced.
The total price of the radios with handheld mics will be $4,185 which is a state bid. Carlton made the motion to accept the bid.
Ingram said they also needed to put a base radio in the county road shed. He said there might be some Homeland Security money to cover all or part of the cost which was estimated to be around $4,500.
"We might have to fund a little bit out of our budget, but hopefully we can do it through Homeland Security funds," Ingram said.
Right now, there is no base station in the road shed.
There are still some things to figure out, but if they can put one in, then the coverage of the radios can go out further.
Bob Garrett, road supervisor, said the old one in the old road shed was obsolete and they needed to upgrade.
The base station could be installed within the next three months, but definitely it would be needed within the year.
"We've been getting along without it, " said Garrett. "It just makes it nicer, especially when everyone is out pushing snow. They have a base they can call back to."
Ingram said right now if someone were to get stranded out in the unincorporated parts of the county, cell phone service is not always reliable. The base station would be another option to keep communications open.