Grove Left Out of New Radio System
More than $12 million in Federal Homeland Security grants has been awarded to cities and towns in northeast Oklahoma, including $1.2 million for Vinita and nearly $2 million for Miami.
But not Grove.
The city has been left out, due to an apparent mixup in communications last April. The cost to Grove could be well over $1 million.
The money is for new 800 MHz radio equipment for police, fire and EMS, including new base transmitters, hand-held radios, truck radios, and towers, and provides for all radios within a 70 mile distance either side of I-44 to be on the same trunking system, and be operational by year's end.
Monkey Island Fire Department received $111,000 and Bernice received $112,000.
Carl Tesreau, Chief of the Monkey Island Fire Department, said the new system means that all cities and towns on the system can talk to each other in the event of a mass disaster, much better than the old 150 MHz system. As many as 10 cities can have simultaneous communications with the new system.
MIFD will leave their old system in place as a backup, and will need it to talk to Grove unless Grove is able to restore the grant.
When informed by The Observer that Grove had been left out of the grant money, Debbie Mavity, assistant city manager, spoke to Homeland Security in Oklahoma City and was told to write a letter to them explaining the communications mixup and need for the money and "something may be workable."
Homeland Security was told by someone "that Grove already has radios and doesn't need more," according to a news source. So Grove was left off the list.
"Someone dropped the ball in Grove, or in Oklahoma City, we just don't where," she said, "but hopefully we can get this grant back on track and get it restored. We have an immediate need for new radios for GMSA employees and we need to be on the new 800 MHz system to communicate with other cities and towns," Mavity said.
Some other cities and their grants include:
Commerce: $207,000
Pitcher: $198,000
Quapaw: $184,000
Wyandotte: $178,000
Fairland: $187,000
Ottawa County: $766,000
Big Cabin: $144,000
Afton: $105,000
The complete system across the state will be finished by April 2007, said Kerry Pettingill, Director of the Oklahoma office of Homeland Security.
But not Grove.
The city has been left out, due to an apparent mixup in communications last April. The cost to Grove could be well over $1 million.
The money is for new 800 MHz radio equipment for police, fire and EMS, including new base transmitters, hand-held radios, truck radios, and towers, and provides for all radios within a 70 mile distance either side of I-44 to be on the same trunking system, and be operational by year's end.
Monkey Island Fire Department received $111,000 and Bernice received $112,000.
Carl Tesreau, Chief of the Monkey Island Fire Department, said the new system means that all cities and towns on the system can talk to each other in the event of a mass disaster, much better than the old 150 MHz system. As many as 10 cities can have simultaneous communications with the new system.
MIFD will leave their old system in place as a backup, and will need it to talk to Grove unless Grove is able to restore the grant.
When informed by The Observer that Grove had been left out of the grant money, Debbie Mavity, assistant city manager, spoke to Homeland Security in Oklahoma City and was told to write a letter to them explaining the communications mixup and need for the money and "something may be workable."
Homeland Security was told by someone "that Grove already has radios and doesn't need more," according to a news source. So Grove was left off the list.
"Someone dropped the ball in Grove, or in Oklahoma City, we just don't where," she said, "but hopefully we can get this grant back on track and get it restored. We have an immediate need for new radios for GMSA employees and we need to be on the new 800 MHz system to communicate with other cities and towns," Mavity said.
Some other cities and their grants include:
Commerce: $207,000
Pitcher: $198,000
Quapaw: $184,000
Wyandotte: $178,000
Fairland: $187,000
Ottawa County: $766,000
Big Cabin: $144,000
Afton: $105,000
The complete system across the state will be finished by April 2007, said Kerry Pettingill, Director of the Oklahoma office of Homeland Security.
posted by Editor | 2:03 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home