New Fairfield voters approve $1.2 million communication system
By Susan Tuz, STAFF WRITER
Published 06:26 p.m., Saturday, September 12, 2009
NEW FAIRFIELD -- An upgrade of the town's emergency radio communications system was approved Saturday in a special referendum in New Fairfield.Voters turned out to bring in 453 yes votes to 166 no votes.
"It went through overwhelmingly," said First Selectman John Hodge. "Our next step is to finalize a contract with the vendor. Part of this project includes building some towers. We're going to try and start as quickly as we can but total completion is probably six to 12 months away."
A new tower will be constructed on Havilin Hollow Road. A small antenna will be on the Ball Pond firehouse and the town's own cell tower now located behind the Police Station in the center of town will be used as part of the array. Also, a cell tower now on Bogus Hill will complete the system, Hodge said.
The proposal was put before voters last December and was rejected but with a lower price tag this time of $1.2 million, residents approved purchasing the system that guarantees coverage for 95 percent of the town.
The communication system consists of portable radios to be used by police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel. The cost of the system put before voters in December was $2.1 million.
A variety of factors related to the economy made the project more affordable, including a decline in the cost of materials and companies' desire to keep their employees working.
This time out, town officials decided that instead of issuing bonds to pay for the system, it will be funded out of the capital and nonrecurring fund in the budget. That was made possible by the more than $1 million surplus from the 2008-09 budget.
Fire Chief Ed McCue said the present radios provide only about 60 percent coverage of the town, with dead spots in numerous places. The present system does not even allow firefighters responding to calls in some of the schools to talk to commanders outside, he said.
"I'm ecstatic," McCue said after the vote was in. "This is going to be a tremendous moral booster. Now we can have proper communication for the town. We can communicate the way we should be when out on a call."
