Making sure you can contact emergency personnel in times of need was the purpose of the Door County Board's approval of a pair of resolutions addressing radio towers on the peninsula. Technology Services Project Manager Ashley DeGrave provided an overview of the communication tower and radio upgrade project, which was last done in 2013. The project would upgrade the current tower network from an analog system to a new digital system. As a part of the upgrade, the county would build six new towers near the Washington Island Ferry, Sevastopol Dunes Lake, North Highway Shop, Horseshoe Bay, Bayshore Drive, and Baileys Harbor. The county’s partnership with nSight would include two collocations in Forestville and Little Sturgeon. The project would be separated into three phases, with the board approving the land acquisition/site testing phase for up to $700,000 by a 19-2 vote. The second phase will include civil/shelter/site work and tower construction, and the third phase will be FCC licensing acquisition and tower/radio equipment. Before the vote, Door County Administrator Ken Pabich addressed concerns about the number and locations of the proposed towers and the technology being placed.
The communication tower and radio upgrade project is expected to cost over $25.6 million by its completion in 2028. The Door County Board also approved an $844,000 bid for Elexco Inc. to build a public safety radio tower in Peninsula State Park and $15,000 for CORE Treatment Services to examine the feasibility of a sober living facility and other resiliency-based programs.
