Press-Republican

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
July 1, 2008

Essex County radio costs mount

Supervisors seek way around 2 new relay circuits

By LOHR McKINSTRY

ELIZABETHTOWN -- Essex County lawmakers are balking at paying additional communications costs for the county's Enhanced 911 system.

The idea of paying for two relay circuits from the 911 center in Lewis to the Schroon Lake Fire Station never made it to the floor of the County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday.

The lines would have eliminated the spotty paging that Schroon Lake fire and ambulance volunteers have now.

Instead, Supervisor Ronald Jackson (R-Essex) wanted to rent digital pagers from a commercial vendor, and Supervisor Randy Preston (I-Wilmington) suggested eliminating 911 dispatching for the Town of Long Lake in Hamilton County.

In the end, the Board of Supervisors took no action but asked County Emergency Services Director Raymond Thatcher to attend the regular meeting next Monday to discuss the issues.

WEAK SIGNAL

County Emergency Services Deputy Director Donald Jaquish told supervisors the paging signal is too weak to reach Schroon Lake reliably.

"They do not hear the pages. This is the only solution they found, to control these radio circuits with phone lines."

Installing dedicated phone lines to the Schroon Lake paging transmitter would cost $10,750, plus more than $200 a month per line.

"All the more reason to proceed with the radio project so we can eliminate these circuits," Jaquish said. "It's (the paging) a problem that existed but has gotten far worse in the last year."

He said a general proliferation of radio-frequency use may be to blame for the weak signals.

PROJECT MEETING

The county is preparing to construct a new public-safety radio communications system that would place antennas on more existing towers for better coverage.

A presentation on that project is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 9, in the Old County Courthouse at Elizabethtown.

The dedicated lines suggested for Schroon Lake would bring to 13 the number of leased lines the county has for radio communications, including two to Long Lake that supervisors want that town to pay for.

DISPUTED BILL

Jaquish said a $34,000 bill from Verizon to install those lines is in dispute.

"We did get a quote from Verizon. They installed a much more expensive circuit. I think, with negotiation, we might be able to do something."

County Attorney Daniel Manning III said he's negotiating with Verizon.

"We're working to try to whittle Verizon down on the bill. They basically charged us double (the quote) plus mileage. It's not our fault they decided to put something else in. Verizon should honor what we agreed on."

The county approved the installation of the leased lines in August 2007, at a cost not to exceed $41,400.

LONG LAKE DISPATCH

Long Lake officials have not signed a contract for dispatching yet, Manning said.

Supervisor Roby Politi (R-North Elba) said a contract with Long Lake should have been signed before the work was done.

"I don't know if Long Lake can even afford to pay for it," Preston said. "Is there any way we can transfer the (Long Lake) dispatch back to their own people?"

The calls couldn't be transferred back and maintain Enhanced 911 services, Jaquish said.

"Long Lake had no idea about this," Manning said. "I believe Long Lake will agree to shoulder some of the costs for this up to what they can afford to pay."

Supervisor Joyce Morency (R-St. Armand) said she wants to know why the overages weren't caught by someone.

"I can't believe the auditor wouldn't pick up on this stuff. They question a bag of doughnuts."

lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48 Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48 Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion' 5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La. Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal $25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses