A tower project in the works since 2008, finally went “live” in mid-July and Burnett County emergency services was ready to utilize the wide range of coverage now available via infrastructure atop the Hertel water tower. All was well with the world…until it wasn’t.
The Burnett County Sentinel reported that in late September, an official responded to a call and when dispatch attempted to reach the deputy; they were unable to do so. The deputy was almost directly in between two telecom towers. Sheriff Wilhelm was concerned and began checking his department’s radios, discovering multiple issues.
One of the towers (Webb Lake) was set up as “receive only,” meaning dispatch could radio the deputy and the tower would receive the signal, but it would not transmit the message to the deputy. The initial goals of the tower project were to give access to a signal throughout the entire county. According to Wilhelm, “Full coverage actually means 90-95 percent. You are never going to get 100 percent, that is impossible.” Due to the terrain of several areas of the county, like rolling hills, coverage is compromised, but something is still not right.
Wilhelm pointed at the lack of communication, the duration of the project, and the absence of a project manager for the downfall of the outcome. “It went on too long. Everything changed,” he said. As a result, the county is reassessing the communication tower project.
October 17, 2017
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