The Department of Public Safety is requesting county commissioners approve Mobilcom, a telecommunications provider, as the project manager for construction of a communications tower in southeastern Crawford County. The construction management cost would be $15,000 for a proposed tower in the area of Sugar Lake in Wayne Township, east of Cochranton.
Greg Beveridge, the county's public safety director, made the request at Thursday's work session of county commissioners.
Beveridge has requested the county use American Rescue Plan Act funds to pay for the project.
The project would be similar to one approved last year by commissioners for western Crawford County on Greiser Road in Sadsbury Township.
That project, a 195-foot-tall tower on land owned by Sadsbury, is moving forward at an estimated cost of $350,000. The tower in western Crawford County would replace a current one off Agnew Road near Dicksonburg. Mobilcom is the project manager for the Sadsbury site.
The Sugar Lake-area tower, if built, would replace county emergency radio tower space that's leased on a tower off Fish Road in Venango County. It's projected to provide better emergency radio reception, according to Eric Henry, chairman of county commissioners.
Henry said the county is in the midst of negotiating with a Wayne Township property owner for either a sale or long-term lease of land for the tower site. However, no lease or sales agreement has been signed as yet,.
Commissioners are expected to act on the request at their voting meeting next week.
Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email.
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