Emergency communications tower approved near Malden

The Board of County Commissioners Monday agreed to a site lease agreement with Wired to Wireless Airpipe, LLC, for a radio tower site near Malden. The Whitman County Emergency Management Department proposed last month to construct an emergency communications radio site near Malden for the purpose of enhancing fire and law enforcement radio systems.

The initial plan called for the construction of a tower, but Emergency Management Director Bill Tensfeld said plans changed.

“This is a completely different project,” he said. “It evolved that we were able to co-locate on an existing tower that was already there.”

Tensfeld told the Gazette last month that responders will see better radio coverage with deputies and EMS units as a result of the radio site. That will still be the case with the co-located site.

“We're just going to hang our antennas on there and be a partner with Wired to Wireless,” said Tensfeld.

Tensfeld said he expects that to be completed toward the end of June, weather dependent. The antennas will be operational soon after the addition.