EAST BRUNSWICK — An aging township communication system will soon see an upgrade.
The Township Council on Monday unanimously approved a $4.185 million bond ordinance that will help fund an upgrade to an aging radio system and bring the township into compliance with a new Federal Communications Commission mandate to narrowband its radio frequencies.
“It’s a win for the community,” said Mayor David Stahl. “You always want to make sure that public safety is your top priority, and here we will have the ability for our first responders to be able to communicate properly with each other.”
The $5.1 million upgrade, which will also be paid for through a mix of other funds, will help to improve the current system, which is in the tail end of its life expectancy and has many parts that are on a “best effort” to be fixed, said Director of Public Safety William Krause Jr.
With the federal mandate taking effect on Jan. 1, 2013, Krause said frequencies will then be sold off to commercial entities. As such, on an emergency call like a heart attack, Krause said rescue workers could be competing with different companies for airwaves.
“The only thing that I want to hear is my dispatchers talking to my officers and the first aid squad that is responding,” he said.
Interference can be a problem if the system does not meet federal capacity guidelines, he said.
The new system will also improve service in areas of the township where reception is sometimes unreliable or in places suffering from “dead spots,” Krause said.
“I think it is going to make far strides in improving our radio system and increasing our communication abilities,” Krause said.
Stahl said that the project, which has been in the works for years, was originally slated to cost nearly $7 million. But that figure was reduced with time to just over $5 million, and with a new tower being built on township property and the opportunity for shared services, it could cost even less.
“We are always trying to be very careful with our taxpayers in respecting the bottom line,” Stahl said.
Council members expressed some concerns about the upgrade at past meetings, tabling a vote on the ordinance on Nov. 28.
Councilman James Wendell said he supported the upgrade but feared having to make additional improvements down the line. He suggested having an outside contractor look at the design, which was drawn up by Kosik.
“I think it’s the right system, but I’d like to hear it from someone else,” Wendell said.
Kosik assured the council that this project will last at least 15 years and will not need additional upgrades. Hiring a contractor would cost money, he said, and likely keep the township from acting in time to receive a nearly $500,000 savings on the project by moving on the system before Dec. 23.
“This is it,” Kosik said. “There is no coming back next year, five years down the road.”