EH Emergency Com Towers Progressing

East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo gave the East Hampton Town Board an update on the town’s drive to modernize its emergency communications system June 18.

A new communications tower at police headquarters in Wainscott should be up and running by the end of August, as will modifications on the main tower at the town hall complex on Pantigo Road, he said.

There have been slight work delays on the Amagansett tower, due to nesting ospreys, but the birds will naturally leave their nests in coming months, and the work will be concluded.

“The way things are progressing,” the chief said, “we do expect to have all the sites fully operational, except for the Montauk tower.”

The new Montauk tower will be located on the western side of the access road to the Montauk recycling center. At 300 feet, it will supplant the 150-foot towers at the same location, and enable Montauk to link to communication towers to the west.

Eddie Schnell, who is running the upgrade program, explained the slight delay in getting the Montauk tower up and running. The design of the Montauk tower’s base has been expanded, to structurally support what will be a 300-foot tower. Schnell said that in order to build the tower, the access road to the recycling center will have to be reconfigured. The plan should be going out to bid shortly.

Two towers that are not part of the current plan but will eventually be added to complete emergency workers’ capability of reaching all points by radio in the town are those proposed for the hill east of East Lake Drive, and the Springs tower. The final decision is to whether to place the Springs tower at the fire station, where one has already been built, but not approved by the town, or at the Camp Blue Bay Girl Scout camp.

The East Lake Drive tower will be at the old Ground to Air Transition Radio, or GATR, site. The installation of a tower there will close the last gaps in emergency communications in Montauk. The GATR project and the Springs tower will have to be bonded by the town board.

t.e@indyeastend.com