New Kent Board of Supervisors approves $2.1 million for emergency system upgrades
New Kent County is upgrading their emergency communications system as the need for more services in the county increases.
New Kent County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the $2.1 million project at Monday morning’s work session.
New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway’s presentation centered around the age of the current system. The 10-year old system that the locality currently uses was installed by Harris Communications. And while the system has worked, several upgrades are needed according to the county administrator.
“There have been a lot of changes over that time period,” Hathaway told county leaders. “It is time to upgrade the system.
“There is primarily new software and new equipment that needs to work with,” he added. “The upgrades will increase cyber security, the system’s stability, and the performance. Right now, it’s getting difficult to find support to our current system due to its age.”
Hathaway commented that the upgrade and the cost for it has been anticipated for several years. The county administrator said that approximately $1.5 million had been saved. In order for the project to move forward, approximately $647,122.18 would need to be transferred. Hathaway said that current projects ongoing in the county have incurred some cost savings to assist with that amount.
“The animal shelter projected has saved us nearly $450,000-$500,000,” he said, pointing to contingency funds that hadn’t been utilized. “We also receive $125,000 from Charles City who uses our system.
“If we postpone this project, it’s only going to get more expensive,” Hathaway added. “I believe addressing this need is the right direction to go.”
District 3 representative Amy Pearson asked about the lifespan of the upgrades, with a response of it ranging form 7-10 year according to personnel from New Kent’s Emergency Communication staff members. It would take a year to implement the system fully, but communication staff members are hoping to expedite the process.
District 4 supervisor Ron Stiers commented about the original process of getting an emergency communications system in New Kent County 10 years ago.
“I believe we paid a total of nearly $7 million ago for the radio system,” Stiers said. “Back then, Sheriff Wakie Howard spoke about the need for it, but the board voted it down.
“I spoke with Sheriff Howard the next day and he was upset,” the District 4 representative continued. “I asked him to bring back examples to the board and show the transmission and how scrambled it was. He brought back the radio calls from a standoff that took place and spoke about how the deputies had to use personal cell phones to communicate. After that, the board voted for the system.”
Stiers added how New Kent Fire Chief Rick Opett turned the board to Harris Communications for the project, instead of opting into a regional communication grid with Gloucester, York County, and James City County, which would have been more costly to the county.
“I thought it was a great decision by the board,” Stiers added. “We knew we had to upgrade it and now is the time to do so.”
District 1 representative and board chairman Thomas Evelyn asked about the functionality of the system. Emergency communication staff members responded by saying while their system is still functioning well for its age, other localities with similar systems are starting to fail.
With the presentation and discussion completed, New Kent county leaders voted 5-0 to approve $2,147,122.18 for the upgrading of the radio system, with $647,122.18 being transferred from the capital budget to assist with funding the remaining portion of the project.