COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

 

DATE:

April 28, 2003

BOARD MEETING DATE:

May 13, 2003

   

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Chris Flatmoe, Assistant Director, ISD

SUBJECT:

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

Recommendation

1) Accept this final report about the exploration of alternative locations for the 700 Crestview radio/microwave site. 2) Support the Information Services Department recommendation to not relocate the 700 Crestview radio site at this time.

 

Background

As part of the Emergency Services Council Joint Powers radio/microwave project, new equipment was installed at the public safety radio facility at 700 Crestview, San Carlos. The upgrade consisted of a new 10' x 20'equipment shelter with generator, a propane tank and a sixty-foot high tower (replaced an existing 40' tower). As part of this radio site upgrade four eight-inch diameter, twenty-foot long Bogner antennae were installed on the radio tower. Property owners near the 700 Crestview site became concerned about the radio site and asked that the site be relocated.

 

On November 12, 2002, your Board reaffirmed that the use of 700 Crestview radio/microwave site is a necessary and essential site to ensure the effectiveness of the overall radio/microwave system and supported the addition of the final four radio antennae to the tower.

 

Dr. Neil Robinson, 24 Quail Lane in San Carlos, has addressed your Board to express his concerns about this communications site installed at 700 Crestview. His property is adjacent to the site. In his communications, Dr. Robinson has objected to the antennae installed on the tower, the stability of the tower itself and the process for deciding that the project would move ahead. A Board memo (Exhibit A) dated March 3, 2003, outlines the status of a list of twelve actions items intended to address concerns raised by the residents of the area related to the 700 Crestview radio site. Eleven of the items are complete. One item is on hold pending your final decision on the radio site.

 

In November, your Board appropriated $15,000 for exploring alternative single site solutions for the possible relocation of the 700 Crestview radio site to a suitable spot on SFPUC property on Pulgas Ridge in San Carlos near the intersection of Los Vientos Way and Crestview Drive.

 

Soon after the November 12 Board meeting, ISD staff began working with Dr. Robinson. On December 6, 2002, ISD staff met with Dr. Robinson at Pulgas Ridge to discuss possible locations for the facility. In addition to providing suggestions for locations on Pulgas Ridge, Dr. Robinson asked about relocating the site at Heather School, Edgewood Park, Big Canyon Park or 280 rest stops. ISD staff performed a propagation study of each site and compared the study with a propagation study of the 700 Crestview site. From a purely technical perspective, the Pulgas Ridge site proved to be the best possible alternative radio/microwave site reviewed. On April 4, 2003, a 70-ton hydro crane was brought to the Pulgas Ridge site to simulate a radio tower to visually verify that a microwave path exists between East Palo Alto and the proposed new location.

 

Discussion
Observations were made from the crane for three locations on Pulgas Ridge (Please see exhibit B for a visual of the sites).

 

Site A (165 feet from Crestview /170 feet from Los Vientos) provided the best opportunity to use trees and terrain to help hide the shelter and propane tank from view. The water tank at 700 Crestview obscured the microwave path to East Palo Alto. The antenna tower height required to clear the water tank would be beyond practical limits. We also learned from San Francisco Water Department that a natural spring flows across this area during heavy rain seasons. This site is not viable.

 

Site B, 50 feet East of site A provided a microwave path to East Palo Alto. The location of Site B required the placement of the equipment shelter to be across the access road from the tower. Antenna cables and wave-guide would have to be bridged from the tower to the shelter. The bridge height, to clear vehicles, would be too high to be of practical use. Running the cables and wave-guide underground is not a good practice. This site is not viable.

 

Site C, 120 feet East / 60 feet South of site A, provided a microwave path to East Palo Alto, the equipment shelter and propane tank could be placed properly and the tower would be a manageable 100 feet in height.

 

Site C is close to the access gate and service road. Radio wave propagation and microwave paths are good. The shelter, antenna tower and propane tank placement are acceptable. However, placement of the facilities at this location makes the equipment shelter and propane tank structure more visible than either site A or B. Site C, from a technical perspective, would be the recommended alternative site.

 

The radio and microwave equipment operating at 700 Crestview is a critical part of the County of San Mateo's communication systems. The microwave radio equipment is part of a SONET loop providing a path for voice and data communication throughout the County. The radio equipment serves law enforcement with Tactical and County Wide Mutual Aide channels from Highway 92 south to Menlo Park. It also serves the County's new trunked radio system (Sheriff, EMS, Public Works, Parks etc.). County technicians are on call 24 hours per day seven days per week, ready to keep County communication equipment operational with little or no down time.

 

If your Board should decide to relocate the 700 Crestview site, ISD Radio Services staff recommends the following strategy for development of the replacement site. Minimizing down time is the key element of this strategy. First, build the new site including the equipment shelter, generator, tower, antennae, microwave dishes and propane tank. PG&E power would be installed, the back up generator would tested and in working order and telephone lines would be in place. The 700 Crestview site then would be shut down. The electronics from the 700 Crestview site will be moved to the new site, installed, tuned and optimized. When the move is complete and the new site is operational the shelter, propane tank, antennae and microwave dishes will be removed from 700 Crestview. This strategy will keep the down time of the currently operational public safety communications equipment to about five days.

 

Strategies that reuse existing facilities would build the foundations for the shelter, tower and propane tank and erect the tower. Once the foundation and utility preparation work is ready, 700 Crestview would be shut down while the radio and microwave antennae are moved to the new tower. Then the equipment shelter would be disconnected from its utilities and foundation and lifted by crane to the new site, and reinstalled. The propane tank would be moved to its new location. All of the components would be reconnected and tested. Then the radio and microwave radio systems would be tuned and optimized. The reuse strategy will result in a down time of about twenty-eight days.

 

The task lists for getting the new site operational with each of the above strategies are about the same. The critical difference is the system down time and cost. The new equipment strategy down time is five days at an estimated cost of $800,000. The reuse strategy down time is twenty-eight days at an estimated cost of $680,000.

 

Budgetary Estimate
Build Site - $250,000

 

    Build site includes the labor and materials for grading, permits, foundations, a new equipment shelter, tower, propane tank (including blast wall) and generator.

 

Relocate the Electronics - $500,000

 

    Relocate the electronics includes the labor and materials to: the purchase of new antennae and microwave dishes, engineering, project management, FCC licensing coordination, physically moving the existing radio equipment, reinstalling the equipment, testing and alignment.

 

Remove equipment from 700 Crestview - $50,000

 

    Remove equipment includes the labor and material to remove the shelter, propane tank, microwave dishes and antennae.

 

This cost estimate does not include the cost of a sound wall around the site.

 

The total budgetary estimate to move the 700 Crestview radio site to Pulgas Ridge is $800,000. Should your Board choose to proceed with the move, the next step would be to submit a permit application to San Francisco Water Department requesting permission to build on the site.

 

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.

 

Fiscal Impact
The alternative radio site analysis project is currently on budget.