GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Brown County should use $2.2 million in federal COVID-19 relief money to cover the costs of a replacement 911 cell tower, county staff are recommending.
UW-Green Bay is planning a $96 million replacement of the Cofrin Library, leading to problem for the county’s public safety agencies. There’s a 911 cell tower atop the eight-story building that will need to be replaced.
It’s one of seven towers in the network, and provides coverage in the northeast part of the county. Tower replacement isn’t something the state is planning to pay for, leading to the discussions of how to pay for the new one, and where it should go. The county says it’s ruled out most other buildings on campus to put the tower either permanently or temporarily. The new library, which is expected to be four or five stories tall, likely won’t be high enough for the new tower, either.
Director of Public Safety Communications Cullen Peltier told county board members that building a new tower on county land by the Public Safety Communications Center is “the best and only option,” according to minutes of a Dec. 7 meeting.
A spot just south of the jail has been selected, with a total cost of about $2.2 million.
The county is facing a time crunch, as UWGB has told the county the tower has to be removed from Cofrin Library by Sept. 1, 2023, according to Supv. Keith Deneys.
Now, the County Board supervisors are being asked to approving using $2.2 million of American Rescue Plan Act grant dollars to cover the expected costs.
The Public Safety Committee reviews the proposal at a 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday at the Sheriff’s Department, 2684 Development Drive, in Bellevue.
If endorsed by the committee, the item moves to the full County Board.
