Supervisors approve location for police radio tower

The Grundy County Board of Supervisors approved the construction of a 320-foot tall communication tower on the Secondary Roads Department property just outside of Grundy Center during its regular meeting on Monday morning.
           
The sheriff’s department has requested the tower, which would also include three 194 foot guy wires, as part of a statewide update to law enforcement radio systems, and Sheriff Rick Penning addressed the board along with RACOM representative Ryan Butler, who estimated that it would cost approximately $240,000 to install. The supervisors budgeted $100,000 in fiscal year 2017 and $100,000 for fiscal year 2018, and Penning added that $70,000 in leftover funds (if the budget is amended) and $60,000 from the 911 fund could also be put toward the project. Several other locations had previously been proposed before settling on the Secondary Roads department.
           
According to Butler, the tower could be completed by late July or early August, and the department would then have to apply for a frequency license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval. He predicted that it could be up and running by October, and Penning mentioned that the department could rent out space and generate additional income from it if there is enough capacity. 
 
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