In 2018 it had been 25 years since the Town of Granby updated its police/fire/ambulance communication system. The dispatch console was 24 years old; the radio equipment was 20-30 years old. Parts were no longer available, so repair was not possible. The two-tower radio system installed in 2000 barely covered 50 percent of the town. The “dead spots” were particularly challenging in emergency situations as communication had to go through the dispatch center.
In February 2018 the Town of Granby Radio System Committee was formed to discuss the obsolete equipment and coverage issues for the police, fire, ambulance and CERT (the community emergency response team.) The assessment took a few years, through different administrators, but real progress was made when John Horr, Jr., the Lost Acres fire chief, took the lead.
In May 2021, the town hired Marcus Communications to do an assessment of what Granby needed and to offer replacement options. In 2023, Horr instituted 9 a.m. Monday team meetings, with the goal to develop a plan for the update. The members of his team were and are Town Manager Mike Walsh, First Selectman Mark Fiorentino, Police Chief Scott Sansom, Granby Ambulance’s Chris Gordon and Public Works Director Kirk Severance.
In May 2023, Federal Engineering (specialists in communications equipment) was hired to make sure Marcus was providing the right equipment in the right quantity for the lowest cost. Satisfied that they were, the town put the $4.6 million project in the budget and in April 2024, it was approved by Granby voters. Subsequently, Horr’s team created an actual time frame for the purchase and installation of the new equipment.
At the Dec. 15 board of selectmen meeting, Horr presented the status of the project, noting that its goals included having a smooth transition from the old system, the lowest total cost of ownership, 95 percent coverage supporting police, fire, ambulance, public works and CERT. It will also provide for growth and be compatible with surrounding towns and services.
This new system consists of a new dispatch center and five towers. The former dispatch center in the police department has been totally re-configured to best handle the new radio communications. The windows have been removed to allow increased cabinetry necessary for record storage. All equipment has been upgraded to handle the information coming in from the five towers located in and around Granby.
The towers are located at the following sites: Gavitt Road in Barkhamsted; Upper Meadow Lane, a left off of Route 20 just past St. Therese; 239 Mountain Road, the former ham radio site; behind the Municipal Complex; and on Metacomet Drive in East Granby.
Only one of the five towers is completely new—the one on Mountain Road. The original ham radio tower was a monopole (one central tower), but it has been removed and a new tri-pole tower is in the process of being built. No changes are contemplated to the monopole tower behind the municipal complex. The other three towers are tri-poles. The wider base of a tri-pole provides greater stability and allows the tower to be taller and support more equipment. All of the towers are monitored 24/7, have back-up generators and are fenced for security. This new system will not be activated until the Mountain Road tri-pole is completed, which is expected to be at the end of this current year.
Because access to the Metacomet tower is challenging even in good weather, up a steep incline on a woody trail, a new UTV (Utility Task Vehicle) and trailer has been purchased. It seats six fully seat-belted adults, is stored at the West Granby branch of the Lost Acres Fire Department and can be used by all emergency services.
So far, $660,144 of the $4.6 million has been spent on the radio equipment, the UTV and trailer, purchase of the Mountain Road site with associated legal costs, and the renovation of the dispatch area including monitoring equipment, cabling and electrical components.