Tower Placement for Floyd County 911 Communications Project Still Uncertain
Tower placement, part of an estimated $5 million overhaul of Floyd County’s emergency communications equipment, isn’t resolved yet.
Last July, the Board of Supervisors greenlit an upgrade to the current 911 system, which has become too costly to constantly repair. Improvements would also get Floyd County on the statewide 911 ISICS system, all in an effort to improve response for law enforcement and emergency services.
One proposal called for a tower to be erected on the grounds of the Fossil and Prairie Park Preserve near Rockford. It would also be near the statue and monument honoring Rockford native and former Navy Seal Jon Tumilson, killed in Afghanistan in 2011.
After receiving some 100 emails opposing that location, Supervisors last week offered to buy 1.5 acres across from the park owned, by Steve Schlader, for $15,000 cash with 15% of profit sharing for any rent of tower space for 30 years.
During Monday’s (03.04) Supervisors’ meeting, Board Chair Mark Kuhn read a counter offer from Schlader.
In Schkader’s proposal to Supervisors, Kuhn noted that he quoted prices between $60,000 and $80,000 paid for similar land purchases, plus revenue sharing, but County Assessor Brandi Schmidt had not been able to verify the claims.
Kuhn added that other tower locations could also still be considered.
No tower decision was made with Supervisors opting to wait for verification of Schlader’s numbers before proceeding on the matter.
