By Steve Marroni, The Evening Sun (Hanover, Pennsylvania)

The Adams County commissioners recently approved entering talks with three companies, each of which would provide a different portion of a new, multi-million dollar digital radio system to replace the antiquated analog radios used by the county’s emergency responders.

County Commissioner George Weikert said entering negotiations obligates the county to nothing at this point, but is a part of the planning process to make sure the companies’ offers match what the county wants out of a new system.

This part of the process also allow the parties to nail down a final cost for what has been estimated as a $15 million to $30 million project.

The county approved entering negotiations with Motorola Solutions Inc., Alcatel-Lucent and J & G Contracting Company. If a deal is reached, Motorola would be the radio vendor, Alcatel would handle the microwave system used in connecting signals, and J & G would be the tower site vendor.

The county had been in preliminary talks since June with Motorola for a review of system specifications.

While talks are moving forward, a decision might not come until early next year when a new board of commissioners takes office, Weikert said. At least one candidate running for commissioner, Paul Kellett, expressed opposition to the purchase of a new system at this time due to the cost as well as pending federal legislation that he said could potentially pay for the project.

A radio-selection committee, consisting of firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel and municipal officials, had worked out the specifications of a system they believe would be a good fit for Adams County. They are looking for an 800-megahertz system to better link firefighters, police and medics, and more effectively connect Adams County with responders in other counties.

Adams County’s existing system was last updated in 1979, and it fails almost daily, director of emergency services John Eline previously said.

In addition to entering talks for a new radio system, the county also approved entering contractual negotiations with Alert Public Safety Systems for a new computer aided dispatch system for the 911 Center. Updating this system would have to be done whether or not a new radio system is put in place, commissioners said.

The current CAD system has been in place since 1999, and is no longer supported by the technicians who installed it, emergency personnel said.

About 60 percent of the estimated $500,000 cost will come from wireless funding the county receives from the state each year, Weikert said.

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