Voters Asked To Approve

$1.9 Million Communications System

By Steve Bigham

The Legislative Council Wednesday approved a $1.9 million plan to upgrade the town’s emergency communications system.

The project now needs the public’s approval at next Wednesday’s (July 24) town meeting, scheduled for 7:30 pm at Town Hall South.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal reminded voters that this radio upgrade will not effect taxes next year as the debt service costs for this capital project were approved at the budget referendum in May.

The council asked several questions about the proposed plan this week, but unanimously favored it.

Currently, the town’s out-of-date low-band system relies on a single antenna on top of Edmond Town Hall. Some areas of town still have dead spots under this system, creating safety concerns, town officials say. In addition, the town now operates three different radio systems that cannot communicate with each other.

The new Motorola two-way radio system would rely on a series of towers throughout town that would assure clear communication over the air waves.

“It’s going to be a tremendous improvement for the town. Right now, we’re operating with portable radio coverage. On a good day and everything is perfect, we may get coverage for 50 percent of town,” explained Fire Marshal Bill Halstead. “Our new system will give us coverage for 95 percent. Our present system for mobile radios gives us 65-70 percent range. Now we’ll get 100 percent coverage with our mobile radios.”

Police, fire, and ambulance personnel have all stressed the need for the upgrade this coming year, particularly since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could revoke the town’s 11 new frequencies if not used promptly.

At 60 square miles, Newtown is one of the largest towns in the state, making it that much more important to have a dependable radio system.

“Right now, our system is problematic with coverage in many parts of town. In the old days, it was the system that was out there. The town got its money’s worth with the system we currently have. Now it’s a safety issue,” noted Joseph Del Buono, the town’s director of communications.

If approved, the new system could be up and running by the end of the year. It would also serve the Board of Education, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works.

The new system would rely on three transmitter towers located on Ferris Road in Dodgingtown, CL&P in Hawleyville, and Route 34 in Sandy Hook. Receiver towers would be located at 352 South Main and 17 Berkshire Road. The overall price also includes the purchase of 277 vehicle radios, 147 portable radios, 319 pagers, and 11 police portable radios.

In the old days, firefighters relied on bells and whistles and were often informed of the whereabouts of an incident over the phone. The plectron (a tone-activated radio receiver) was first introduced in town in the late 1960s and pagers were first used in the late 1970s.