County goes ahead with tower project
By BENJAMIN C. SHARP bensharp@journal-spectator.com

Wharton County law enforcement agencies will soon be able to communicate with over a dozen area counties via a system wide radio upgrade.

The upgrade - coupled with the installation of a new radio tower at the Department of Public Safety station in Pierce - will bring about improved inter operability in the case of an emergency, according to city of Wharton emergency management coordinator Jim Cooper.

Cooper told the Wharton City Council earlier this month the 150 megahertz VHF system now used by the county's various agencies will be "phased out" in the next few years as a new digital system - with a frequency of 700-800 megahertz - is implemented.

The 700-800 system is currently used in Harris and Fort Bend counties.

"All of our 13 counties on our cog will be on this system," Cooper said, referring to the counties that comprise the Houston- Galveston Area Council.

Cooper said the goal is to have the upgrade in place by 2010.

One of the first steps in that process is the construction of a radio tower here in Wharton County.

The tower will be paid for by Fort Bend County, but can be utilized by local agencies for a fee.

Cooper said the local cost will translate to about $27,000 per year - but that amount can be split between several groups. Details of the cost sharing will be specified in a contract.

Cooper said the cities of Wharton and El Campo, Wharton County and DPS will all participate.

The city of East Bernard will be included through the county's participation, he added.

A contract is expected to be signed later this month.

"We will enter into a software subscription agreement," Cooper said. "We're hoping this tower is completed this year."

To utilize the new frequency, however, area agencies must upgrade their radios.

That's where the real expense comes in.

Cooper said it will cost about $1.5 million.

"Unfortunately, we do have to replace all the radios. But we can phase into it over the next two to three years," he said.

"We'll keep that (current) system up in the future."

Grants from the Department of Homeland Security are being pursued to cover the radio upgrade cost, while additional funds are being sought with the assistance of area fire departments.