After years of planning, design, land acquisition, a lawsuit, and construction, Habersham County’s new emergency radio communications system is approaching completion, according to county officials.
Habersham County’s Radio System Administrator Tom Priddy, gave an update on the project’s progress. Funded by SPLOST VII, which was approved by voters in 2020, the new system is designed to modernize and significantly enhance communications capabilities for first responders throughout the county.
“We are in the process of installing antennas, coax, and microwave dishes on the towers, weather permitting,” Priddy said. “All civil work to each tower site is complete, and all radio system equipment has been installed at each tower location except for one, which is being completed this week.”
Signal testing is scheduled to begin in early July. The full system rollout is expected around Thanksgiving, following a successful acceptance testing phase and coordinated cut-over with all involved departments.
Project cost
Project negotiations began in June 2021, with construction officially launching in February 2022. The total project cost—excluding the cost of handheld and mobile radios—stands at $9,654,534.89.
The new system will rely on nine strategically located tower sites, including one dedicated to microwave data transmissions from the 911 center:
- Bailey Site – Sunburst Ln, Clarkesville
- Bear Gap Site – Bear Gap Road, Turnerville
- Fairview Site – Cannon Bridge Road, Demorest
- Four Winds Site – Rock Road, Mount Airy
- Grandview Site – Grandview Circle, Cornelia
- Jail Site – 1000 Detention Drive, Clarkesville
- OneMize Site – Piedmont Mountain Rd, near Batesville
- Tallulah Falls Site – Gibert Gate, Tallulah Falls
- 911 Site – 175 EOC Drive, Mount Airy
Radio costs
Priddy explained that equipment orders are already in progress for every law enforcement and fire department in the county. Radios will be distributed following final testing and department sign-off on the migration plan.
Pricing was locked in early in the project, with a mid-tier portable radio for law enforcement costing $4,102, high-tier fire radios priced at $5,266.10, and remote head mobile radios costing $4,924.80.
Radio equipment breakdown by county department:
- Sheriff’s Department: 63 mid-tier portable radios, 63 mobile radios for a total cost of $568,688.40.
- Emergency Services (Fire/EMS): 64 high-tier portable radios, 34 mobile radios for a total cost of $504,473.60.
- 911 Dispatch: 7 mid-tier portable radios, 1 mobile radio for a total cost of $33,638.80.
The cost for radios for the cities police and fire departments are separate from the county’s cost.
Once operational, the new system is anticipated to provide 95% coverage, improve interoperability among agencies, and increase public safety response capabilities across Habersham County.
