Tekoa Mountain tower brings e-comm redo closer to finish

Whitman County’s emergency communications network is one step closer to completion after commissioners last week finalized a land use agreement with property owners that will allow for construction of a tower on Tekoa Mountain.

Under a joint operating agreement signed last month, the tower will be built by Spokane County and will be maintained by Whitman County.

Deputies, fire volunteers, and other emergency responders from both counties will use the tower.

Steve Krigbaum, Whitman county’s emergency communications coordinator, said the finalized agreements with property owners means Spokane County will likely put the project out to bid this week.

“We will have a tower up there this year,” he told commissioners Monday.

Once the Tekoa tower is in place, the county will need only to finalize construction of a tower in the Colton area to complete a new countywide communications loop. Towers have already gone up around Lamont, Endicott and Naff Ridge north of Oakesdale.

With the new towers in place, the county should no longer need to rent space for communications atop Steptoe Butte, said Krigbaum.

Repeaters owned by the county sheriff’s office, engineer’s office and fire districts 7 and 11 are posted on the butte.

The state parks department has increased the rent it charges for the towers. Krigbaum said new technologies make shorter towers more efficient than those posted on high points like Steptoe Butte.

Krigbaum added he is working with First Wind to make sure the turbines on their proposed wind farm will not interfere with the microwave radio signal.

An entire upgrade of the radio systems used by Whitman County’s emergency crews is still about 10 years away from completion.

The upgrades are funded through the county’s emergency communications sales tax, which was approved by voters in 2006.