Koochiching County’s emergency responders are one step closer to being included in the state’s public safety radio system.
The county board Tuesday agreed to accept a participation plan with Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response, known as ARMER, Minnesota’s shared public safety radio communication system as presented by consultant, Rey Freeman, GeoComm.
“The plan, in a sense, is a placeholder for the state radio network,” Freeman said of the plan that will now move on to seek approval from the state.
The consultant said that to use the system, a participation plan was required and in January, commissioners received a $30,000 grant to hire Freeman to prepare the plan.
While accepting the plan does not necessarily require any financial contributions from the county, all the local agencies that expressed interest joining the system would see a combined price tag of about $1.6 million for radio equipment.
“You’re approving the plan, you’re not approving spending that amount of money,” Freeman explained.
In other Minnesota counties, grants were secured to offset costs, he said. He also said the state is allocating some of its 911 funding to assist counties to move to the system and suggested commissioners check on available funding. State grants, Freeman noted, require that the county have a state-approved participation plan.
The county’s VHF radio system is now 12 narrowband compliant, but loses coverage of about 15 percent in the most rural areas of the county. The Federal Communications Commission is at some point going to require VHF systems go to six narrowband. The county’s VHF system is used by county law enforcement and dispatch, International Falls police, and the county emergency responder agencies for fire protection, first responders and ambulance.
The county’s VHF system works for communication within the county, but there is no communication with emergency responders or law enforcement outside the county using the ARMER system. The intent would be to keep the VHF system as a backup and move, as funding is available, to the state ARMER system.
The state’s goal with the ARMER system is to provide 95 percent mobile coverage statewide. For Koochiching County, this coverage would be 98.6 percent. The current VHF system provides 90 percent coverage.
The ARMER system is a UHF system. The state has placed the required towers in the county for area-wide coverage so the areas that lack coverage with the county’s VHF system would have coverage with the UHF system when the state installs in the county two more towers – one by Bois Forte and another in International Falls on County Highway 155. In addition, county law enforcement will also have regional coverage and communications as well as communication where cell phone service is not available.
Freeman said that no additional towers or repeater channels were needed in Koochiching to handle the extra traffic associated with the ARMER system.
“We don’t not believe any sites or site enhancements are required,” he said, adding that a benefit of the ARMER system is that the towers, “and all the relatively expense stuff,” is owned and maintained by the state. “There is no cost of using that system...operations are paid for by 911 funds,” he said.
In other business Tuesday, the board agreed to a resolution in support of continued funding for the Voyageurs National Park Clean Water Project. The project involves a plan to expand wastewater infrastructure to the communities adjacent to Minnesota’s only national park. The local Island View sewer project is a smaller component to the plan.
“(The sewer project) has the most potential for economic development,” Commissioner Wade Pavleck said.
He added that should a bonding bill be passed by lawmakers next year, a chunk of money will be allocated for the sewer project, which is shovel ready.
“This needs to be our priority,” Pavleck said.
Also Tuesday, the board agreed to accept a quote from Bowman Construction for the bituminous overly of County Road 139 and the parking lot at the county’s highway garage in the amount of $55,528.
”Bowmans are our best bet to get this done in a timely manner,” Pavleck said.
A total of four companies bid the project.
