Range, necessity driving force behind purchases
The increased response to county identification checkpoints and overall poor quality of the system in place led to a $51,000 decision being made Friday.
The teleconference of the Graham County Emergency Management Coordination Committee was capped by a lengthy discussion between officials with the sheriff’s office and the board of commissioners over the radios being used by officers. Sheriff Joseph Jones explained that while stability and range has long been an issue with the radios, the recent wave of calls brought on by manned ID checkpoints on the outlying portions of the county has made the problem much more apparent.
“It’s been an ongoing thing; it just seems to continually happen,” Jones said of the communication problems. “I don’t really have an answer for it. I know we have worked on the tower and the repeaters.
“Yesterday, it didn’t matter where you were at (in the county): dispatch couldn’t hear us. Day before yesterday, I called dispatch three times while sitting in my office and finally had to end up calling them on my phone. It’s been like that for a good while; some days are better, some days are worse. To me, it’s a safety thing.”
Commission members weighed the options, with Western Carolina Communication Systems quoting a price of $51,693.75 for 25 new Kenwood 700/800 MHz, 3-watt radios. Each radio will be equipped with Phase 1 and Phase 2 licensing, with the latter being a requirement to work with the N.C. Viper system in 2025.
County Manager Becky Garland expressed concern with waiting to purchase the licensing. She added that the money should be reimbursed by FEMA, as the purchase is occurring during the coronavirus crisis.
“What’s going to happen to the pricing when everyone needs to buy the licenses in five years?” Garland asked. “The only thing I would caution for is not installing the licensing yet.
“If a radio is lost, damaged or stolen, then that license went with that radio, and we would have to purchase a new license with a new radio.”
The motion to buy the radios was approved by a 4-1 vote. The new radios should be in by the end of this week.
Other happenings
Earlier in the call, Fontana Dam Town Administrator Zelerie Rogers brought up the newest executive order issued by Gov. Roy Cooper, which limits the number of people allowed in a retail store based on square footage.
The measure – which went into effect at 5 p.m. Monday – drew concern from Rogers, who wanted to know how that would effect the flow of operation at Ingles, the only grocery store in Robbinsville.
A call to Ingles Corporate Office to find out the square footage of Robbinsville’s store – under the new order, only five people are allowed in per 1,000 square-feet – was not returned by press time Wednesday.
County project manager Jason Marino expressed concern over some of the canopies being used at the checkpoints, as rainfall earlier in the week caused several to collapse. Jones and Robbinsville Mayor Steve Hooper both responded and said they had canopies that the county was more than welcome to access.
Garland also revealed that a call took place April 8 with the faith-based community of Graham County. Local pastors and members of emergency services were on the call, discussing options on how to volunteer to help those who cannot get out for supplies and to help communicate updates on COVID-19.