There have been a few delays, but it looks like Miami County’s new 800 MHZ radio system from Motorola should be fully operational in early July, about two weeks ahead of schedule. The project came in about $11,000 over the original budget. Senior Project Manager, Dennis Ward, says the overage was due to construction of a 250 foot communications tower near the Wildwood Outdoor Education Center in southern Miami County, that wasn’t part of the original design. The tower had to be constructed because the desired location for the communication equipment was on an existing tower that was no longer viable. Without the tower construction, the project would have come in under budget, with a final cost of just over $8.3 million.
The microwave towers at Osawatomie and Wildwood have been installed recently and tested, so the entire system will be tested soon. the tests will include assessing the system’s Countywide coverage. Motorola is under contract to guarantee 95% coverage throughout the County.
