Communication project estimate rises

The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors on Monday heard an updated proposal from the engineering consultant firm that presented the Chickasaw County Radio Communications Project study in May.This project is in response to, not only the unintended consequences of a required narrow-banding wave that had to be completed by the end of 2012, but moreover the system will also be designed to function in the next wave of narrow-banding, which will happen before 2030.“You would be well-prepared for that through this project,” said study author Gary Therselsen with GJ Therkelsen and Associates Inc.Therkelsen, based in Chaska, Minn., offered a written quote for a “fixed fee” of $163,310 to proceed with an agreed-upon change of project scope. Because of the change in scope, the fixed fee increased by $14,781 since Therkelsen’s needs assessment proposal. The changes in scope serve primarily to add a county-owned radio channel for the now private ambulance service. This channel would be configured for the same performance as the channels for departments of the sheriff, firefighters and emergency management.The proposed additional construction cost for the ambulance channel was $174,240, as anticipated in June.The increase for the fixed fee due to the change in scope, plus adding an ambulance channel, comes to $189,000; overall the bid rose by about $500,000 to $2.85 million since the May proposal.The proposal is valid for 60 days from July 25, the date of the cover letter.— For more on this story, see the Aug. 3 New Hampton Tribune.