Oakland County CLEMIS (Court and Law Enforcement Management Information System) Administrator Pam Coates hopes that a tower to assist in emergency services communication has finally found a home in Orion Township.
The tower, which will stand just under 200 feet tall, is one of three left to be installed in Oakland County as part of a project that will facilitate communication inside buildings for police and fire departments.
The county had hoped it had found a location for the tower near Orion Township Hall at Civic Center Park on Joslyn Road, but a restriction due to federal funding for the recreation area has put a snag in those plans.
‘We had the drawings completed and we submitted our drawings to Orion planning,? Coates said. ‘Then the parks and recreation department realized there were restrictions on that land.?
Because federal funds were involved, the county would be required to find another property that was equal to the land that would be used for the tower.
Coates said Orion Parks and Recreation suggested they talk to Oakland County Parks, who chose a site on Baldwin Road in Orion Oaks Park for the tower.
The property had the same restrictions as the township land, but because the county had a bigger pool to draw from, they were able to find equal property in Lyon Township.
‘So we got approvals, and studies done, and we submitted our plans again,? Coates said. ‘But at a public hearing in January, some citizens objected to us using that site.?
Coates said in the 1990s there were several high-profile incidents, such as a shooting at a plant in Wixom, where lots of different fire and police departments came together and found they were unable to communicate inside buildings due to having different radio systems.
‘The (Oakland County) board of commissioners approved funding, which comes in the form of that 911 surcharge on your phone bill,? Coates said. ‘That’s the funding for this project.?
CLEMIS will install 36 towers across the county which will allow emergency services to be able to communicate via their radios inside buildings. Besides Orion, towers in Oakland and Highland Townships are yet to be completed.
Coates said the county met with the residents and she thinks they now have a better understanding of what CLEMIS is trying to accomplish.
‘We are not putting microwave at this site,? she said. ‘The tower doesn’t have to be lighted because it’s under 200 feet tall.?
CLEMIS is scheduled to go before the Orion Planning Commission on Feb. 16.
‘It costs $13,000 every time we have to do these studies,? said Coates. ‘We spent $13,000 for the site on Joslyn, and now we’ve spent $13,000 on Baldwin.?
Because the project is solely funded from 911 funds, Coates said there isn’t a lot to go around.
‘That is money I could instead spend on radios for emergency personnel,? she said, adding that the Village of Lake Orion had approved their tower, but a site was yet to be determined in Oakland Township.
‘Our timeline is to start putting people online this July, and have everyone on by the end of December, to meet FCC requirements,? said Coates. ‘That doesn’t give us a lot of time to build towers.?
Coates said she understood and appreciated residents? concerns with the placement of the tower, and Oakland County Commissioner Eric Wilson, who represents Orion Township, said all avenues were being pursued to get the best coverage for public safety in the area, with the least intrusion.
‘Citizens have said (the tower) doesn’t look good,? he said. ‘I’m concerned with public safety.
‘We’re looking at all the avenues,? he said. ‘The citizens? concerns are legitimate. The key is to make sure we have the tower.?
Orion Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk said having the tower on township property made the most sense.
‘We have to abide by the ordinances,? he said. ‘People who are 500 feet from the property line must be informed.?
Dywasuk said Wilson had met with Dan Stencil of Oakland County Parks and were trying to coordinate finding a new site.
‘They said they could put it near the dog park on Joslyn,? said Dywasuk. ‘That is being discussed, and we’re talking about maybe still being able to put it at the township (hall).?
Dywasuk said he understood that people were concerned about their property values.
‘We are concerned about that,? he said. ‘But it has to go in the township somewhere.?