County land transferred for new 911 tower
The Brown County Commissioners unanimously approved transferring property so that they can build a new 911 radio tower near Bean Blossom.
The transfer was from the Brown County Parks and Recreation Board to the Brown County Commissioners. It’s for property at the southwest corner of the intersection of State Road 135 North and Greasy Creek Road.
Because the 911 radio tower is considered a public safety item, they do not require local or state building permits, said commissioner Diana Biddle. “It is considered a matter of public safety. They have to be built,” she said.
The tower will be built using a portion of a $2 million bond the Brown County Council is pursuing.
Biddle said the property has to be in the commissioners’ name to build the tower using that money. The parcel is about 22 acres. A small building also will have to be built at the site to store equipment.
The current 911 tower is in Brown County State Park.
“Part of the problem we’re having is we’re having overlap of chatter from other frequencies on to our 911 frequency from park service employees. That’s one issue. There’s a lot of stuff going on at that tower,” Biddle said.
A new tower will also provide more coverage for emergency communication in the northern part of the county.
“By putting this new tower in the northern part of the county, we will increase the coverage in the entire county by more than four times. That is really significant,” Biddle said.
She said that the county has also been in contact with REMC, which has expressed interest in partnering with the county on the project. “They will possibly be providing a generator, the electrical service and possibly the building, which is one of those pre-cast concrete buildings to put equipment in,” Biddle said. “That’s a pretty significant contribution to this project if we get all T’s crossed and I’s dotted to make that work.”
Upgrades to fire department radios will also have to be done to make them compatible with the new tower.
The tower in the park will be used to focus more on the central part of the county once this new tower is built, Biddle said.
“You get down to Lake Monroe, there’s another tower down there in Bloomington that spills over on the backside, but we don’t have any other towers,” she said.
“This (tower) will be on the downward slope of the third overlook, which is on the south side of the road by Greasy Creek. It’s not the north side, which is the clear view part. It should be kind of tucked away. … The only other place in the northern part of the county that is 60 feet higher is over at Flags of the Nation. That’s just not going to happen.”
County council gathering book of budgets, audits
Brown County Council President Keith Baker is creating a book in the Brown County auditor’s office to help residents find financial information about local government.
He told the county council audience in June that the book will contain budgets or audits of government groups, such as township trustees, the county council, the Maple Leaf Management Group (county-owned performing arts center) and others, as they come in.
Some of that information is available on state government websites, such as Gateway and the Indiana State Board of Accounts, but a series of searches is needed to find it.
Baker said he hoped to have the book complete this month. The auditor’s office is on the lower level of the County Office Building on East Gould Street.
“Anyone in the county, I want you to be able to walk into the auditor’s office and take a look at those budgets and audits,” he said.
“It’s not required, but it’s transparent.”
