COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

DATE:

November 5, 2002

BOARD MEETING DATE:

November 12, 2002

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Steve Boles, Radio/Microwave Replacement Project Manager

SUBJECT:

Emergency Services Council Joint Powers Authority and County Radio/Microwave System Site at 700 Crestview (Site 60) - San Carlos Area

Recommendations

1. Authorize staff to work with the City and County of San Francisco Water Department to secure approval for location of radio equipment on Water Department property to the west of Crestview at the corner of Los Vientos Way.

2. Authorize expenditures of up to $15,000 from non-departmental resources to develop the detailed site plans required by the City and County of San Francisco Water Department to evaluate the use request.

3. Authorize completion of the development of the current site to include recommendations to address neighborhood concerns as expressed at the October 22, 2002 Board meeting.

Background

In January 2000 all residents in the neighborhood of the 700 Crestview site were notified of the County's plans to install a communications site on that property. On February 7, 2000 the San Carlos Planning Commission held a public hearing to receive "all comments of all persons interested in the consideration of a conditional use permit to upgrade the emergency radio system at 700 Crestview Drive at Los Vientos Way." The upgrade recommended the following:

· Replacement of the 40' antenna tower with a 60' self supporting tower

· Installation of a 10' by 24' by 9' equipment shelter, and

· Installation of a 500 gallon capacity propane tank.

At the public hearing none of the residents spoke against approval of the request and the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit. Everything currently at the site was approved at that time by the San Carlos Planning Commission.

Motorola completed the final detailed design work which included the specific type of antenna required to meet the communications needs. When these antenna were installed in April 2002 the residents appealed to the San Carlos Planning Department stating that the antenna were not in the original approval. The antenna were then removed.

On October 22, 2002 the Board of Supervisors held a public hearing concerning the staff recommendation to reaffirm that the use of the 700 Crestview Radio/Microwave Site is a necessary and essential site to ensure the effectiveness of the overall public safety communications system and concur in the addition of the final four radio antenna to the tower.

During the hearing a number of residents in the immediate area of the site attended and presented information to the Board on their concerns about proceeding with the recommendation. The Board requested that the project consider locating the radio and microwave equipment on San Francisco Water Department property to the west of Crestview at the corner of Los Vientos Way, and if not feasible, to bring recommendations that could be implemented to mitigate the residents concerns.

Discussion of Recommendations

1. Authorize Staff to Secure Approval to Relocate the Site and

2. Authorize expenditures of up to $15,000 to Complete Necessary Site Plan Work that Can be Submitted to the San Francisco Water Department

The Board requested we explore relocating the communications site northward on property owned by the San Francisco Water Department. The attached page identifies the area under consideration. This site is located in the watershed area.

· Steve Alms of the Real Property Division of the County Manager's Office has been in contact with the appropriate representatives of the San Francisco Water Department as they are the owners of the property to the west of Crestview at the corner of Los Vientos Way. He has received a listing of detailed information that would be required for the Department to further consider the request.

· Preliminary engineering work indicates that the site may be feasible from a radio and microwave point of view.

To pursue this further we recommend that a project manager from the County Information Services Department be assigned to facilitate rapid processing.

3. Authorize Completion of the Current Site

Based on the project history, development of a new site (as opposed to modifying an existing site as with the CalWater site) will take at least one year and perhaps as long as two. We have established and/or upgraded a total of 53 sites throughout the County with 3 of those sites being similar in scope and complexity to the proposed new site on San Francisco Water Department property. These sites (Foster City TCI, Sweeney Ridge and Skylawn) took between 18 months and 30 months to establish.

For each of these sites we did the following:

· completed engineering analyses for both microwave paths and radio propagation

· acquired necessary approvals and permits by relevant governing bodies

· completed detained engineering design work

· completed site design work

· conducted public hearings

· completed site preparation and construction, and

· installed all equipment

Thus, while relocating the site northward may be a feasible option, delaying the project in anticipation of a new site represents a significant risk to the public safety. Additionally, it will result in significant project costs because of the delays.

Recommendations to Address Concerns Raised by the Residents Concerning the Current Site

Four general concerns were raised at the October 22, 2002 Board meeting, one of which was the four antenna on the tower. The other issues identified were noise levels, propane tank safety and tower stability. The Board requested that staff look at actions that could be taken to address these concerns. Finally, the Board requested that Neil Cullen, County Director of Public Works, secure additional information on the ability of CalWater to shut off water to the 700 Crestview Drive site.

After hearing the concerns raised at the meeting and reviewing the project requirements, we recommend the following actions to address those concerns.

Neighborhood Concerns/Issues

Recommendations

Noise level

Done

· Changed the "cycling of the generator" from once a week to once a month to lessen the impact

Proposed

· Install a new muffler capable of greater noise reduction

· Adjust fuel pressure and ignition systems to reduce `stumbling' of the generate and reduce noise

· Plant vegetation

Unsightliness and instability of the antenna

Proposed

· Paint the antenna the same color (silver quill) as the tower to reduce the visual impact

· Mount anchor brackets at the top of the antenna to control movement

Propane tank safety

Done

· Installed the propane tank consistent with code requirements

Proposed

· Request that South County Fire verify that the tank is still in compliance with the code

Stability of the tower

Done

· Completed the original design of the tower by a California Registered Engineer as required by the conditional use permit

· Verified the stability of the tower with the County engineer, a California Registered Engineer

· Verified that CalWater has capacity to shut off water at multiple locations on the property to insure that hydraulic soil erosion will not compromise the integrity of the tower

· Verified that CalWater checks the integrity of the site daily

Fiscal Impact

The project is currently on schedule and on budget. Failure to install and begin testing of the new antenna by the end of October will lead to delays in the project and additional non-budgeted costs. Addition of a new site, if feasible, will have a minimum development in excess of $250,000.

Funds to develop the detailed site plans required by the City and County of San Francisco Water Department ($15,000) are appropriated in non-departmental accounts.

Vision Alignment

The radio/microwave replacement project is essential to effective emergency communications among police, fire, ambulance and other critical services and thus meets the intent of goal number 7: Maintain and enhance the public safety of all residents and visitors. Additionally the system, used in cooperation by all of the public safety agencies in the County meets the intent of goal number 22: County and local governments effective communicate, collaborate and develop strategic approaches to issues affecting the entire County.