Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
13 <br /> 1 prevent the need to build towers. He said in the next year's budget, they want to improve the <br /> 2 paging system, but are focusing on at least being able to maintain the current system. <br /> 3 Chair Price said she would like to see a cost comparison between a new, up to date <br /> 4 paging system, and maintaining the current system. <br /> 5 Chair Price asked if 5G technologies are still being discussed. <br /> 6 Kirby Saunders said it is still developing. He said the county does not have full coverage <br /> 7 yet so they would not feel comfortable expanding to that. <br /> 8 Commissioner Fowler asked if cell phone coverage would still be needed if the county <br /> 9 had fiber coverage. <br /> 10 Kirby Saunders said the study recommended 17 new towers, which is very high. He <br /> 11 said the expansion of the VIPER system would likely need 4 or 5 towers. <br /> 12 Commissioner Fowler asked if the towers would be county owned. <br /> 13 Kirby Saunders said these would be newly constructed towers, but they have not <br /> 14 discussed private versus county owned towers. <br /> 15 Commissioner Fowler said the Chapel Hill Carrboro City School System is being paid to <br /> 16 put towers on its properties. <br /> 17 Commissioner Fowler said it sounds like it would be helpful to take these first responder <br /> 18 needs into consideration before an RFP is approved for fiber. <br /> 19 Chief Cabe said fiber needs power, and all county fire stations have generators. He said <br /> 20 he thought there might be a benefit to tying the fiber into the stations since they have consistent <br /> 21 electricity. He said there may be a cost benefit in tying the radios and broadband needs <br /> 22 together. He said no one wants a large ticket item that will only cover one need, and if the <br /> 23 systems can be married together (data and communications) it would be a win-win. <br /> 24 Jim Northrup said the current RFP does have a county ownership model, and the RFP <br /> 25 scoring includes a weighted section if there is county ownership. He said they could include fire <br /> 26 stations. <br /> 27 Commissioner McKee said the broadband task force was interested in learning about <br /> 28 these first responder needs, and, to his mind, it would be beneficial to have this be a combined <br /> 29 effort to address personal and public needs. <br /> 30 Chief Jamal Phillip Nasseri said White Cross has space for tower expansion, and has <br /> 31 spoken with private companies. <br /> 32 <br /> 33 4. Establishing a Length of Service Awards Program <br /> 34 <br /> 35 Chief Cabe made the following presentation: <br /> 36 <br /> 37 Slide #1 <br /> Recognition of Service <br /> 38 29 <br />