The Sawyer County Public Safety Committee on Tuesday approved a resolution to proceed with GenComm's proposal to upgrade the county's public safety radio network, with committee members saying staff will return within two months with a final project budget and definitive tower locations.

The vote followed public comments from residents and local fire officials urging improved radio coverage. "This is a public works project and under Wisconsin State statutes 59.52(29) the county is required to do a bidding process," said Linda Zilmer, an Edgewater property owner, urging the committee to ensure proper procurement steps and to limit sole authority to contract. "What you might want to authorize the county administrator to do at this point is to start the preparation with GenComm of specifications and the bidding process so that it's done correctly," Zilmer said.

The committee also heard from Chris Klein, fire chief of the Draper Fire Department, who described coverage gaps and recent infrastructure changes in his area: "Currently, our pager range is about 7 to 10 miles outside of Draper... We have a small tower in Draper. It's only about 55 feet tall. That's one of the reasons why the range is so bad." Klein told the committee that fiber has recently been extended to his fire hall and noted a new cell tower on Route 70 that has improved phone coverage in parts of the county. "So should there be a need for a plan modification, it would be good for you to be aware that we've got fiber in the area now," he said.

Andy Alvarado, county communications staff, briefed the committee on the procurement status and options. He said a private company that had previously proposed a bonded partnership declined to submit a proposal this year; that company has not been ruled out as a potential lessor of tower space. "Bug Tussle informed us last week that they were declining to provide a proposal, as they had in the past," Alvarado said. He presented the GenComm proposal the committee had previously reviewed last fall and said the principal remaining decisions concern tower locations and whether the county must build new towers or can lease space on existing structures.

Gary Pelletier, representing GenComm, said GenComm responded to an RFQ issued in 2023 and that the current pricing is based on that response. "There was an RFQ that was issued in 2023. We responded in November 2023... so this pricing is still goes in line with that. It was just never funded," Pelletier said. He added that leasing existing towers can shorten timelines and reduce cost compared with building new towers, and said an example quote from a tower owner was "roughly a thousand a month per site" in lease costs, which GenComm contrasted with the roughly $500,000 or more cost to construct a single new tower.

Alvarado said the GenComm proposal still includes two towers the county might have to build as a worst-case scenario, but that additional leasing options have been identified since last year. He told the committee he expected to return within two months with a finalized list of sites, a budget figure, and a recommendation on which towers to lease and which (if any) to construct. He also said staff would begin the contracting process with GenComm to start official project work.

The committee approved the resolution after a motion from Mark Hellwig and a second from Jeff Haney. The chair called for voice vote; the motion carried.

The record also shows county staff preparing a proposal to send to the tribal entity that manages the WOJB tower; Alvarado and GenComm said they had drafted a site plan and coverage maps for tribal review and would forward that material for tribal governing-board consideration. Pelletier said GenComm's coverage maps showed existing site coverage did not reach the entire tribal area and that the proposed upgrades would "definitely benefit" that community.

Next steps recorded at the meeting include: staff to return within two months with final budget numbers and confirmed tower locations; staff to continue site negotiations, including contacting the tribal governing board about using the WOJB tower; and work toward entering a contract with GenComm to begin project engineering and procurement.

Votes at a glance: Motion to approve proceeding with public safety radio system improvements using the GenComm proposal; mover Mark Hellwig; second Jeff Haney; outcome: motion carried by voice vote (committee recorded "aye" and the chair announced the motion carried). The meeting transcript does not record a roll-call tally or a formal recorded count of yes/no votes.

Clarifying note: Committee discussion distinguished three types of actions discussed: (1) formal approval to proceed with GenComm and to begin contracting, (2) direction to return with a final budget and site plan within two months, and (3) outreach to external tower owners (including a tribal governing board for the WOJB site) to pursue leasing options.