Item F1
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDAITEMSU~Y
Meeting Date: February 17, 2000
Bulk Item: Yes No X
Division: Growth Mana~ement
Department: N/ A
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
I a.) Oral Report
lb.) Written report requested by BOCC which will provide additional information on the County's
communications system.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOARD ACTION:
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
TOTAL COST:
N/A
BUDGETED: Yes
No
COST TO COUNTY:
'AMOUNT PER MONTH
PER YEAR
APPROVED BY: County Attorney N/A
Risk Management N/ A
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL.
tor of Growth Management
DOCUMENTATION: Included
X
Not required
DISPOSITION:
Agenda Item #: 1" PIli
~~~'t!J'! ~~~'ft~, '~!lflTl~~~ !)f9'!lr!Tt! .~Yl~
2798 Overse.. Highlay Suite 410 Marathon, FL 33050 305.289.2500
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Board of County Commissioners
FROM:
Timothy J. McGarry, AICP rtiJ
Director of Growth Manage......1
January 31, 2000
DA TE:
RE:
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
.....................................................................................................................
This report will present additional information on the County's communications system. This
report was called for by the Board of County Commissioners on July 22, 1999 following a
presentation to the Board from Ted Kreines concerning wireless communications. This report is
in response to Action Item G 1 from the 7/22/99 Board of County Commissioners meeting.
This report was developed by the Planning Department in coordination with Norm Leggett,
Senior Director of Emergency Communications for Monroe County, and will present the
following information: the number of towers belonging to the County, the location of these
towers, the condition of those towers, the value of those towers, how much rental revenue is
generated from those towers, and the potential for increased revenue production from those
towers (or, their remaining capacity). This report will also present information on other towers
not owned by the County, but which contain communications equipment used by the County.
There are a variety of appendices included with this report. Appendix 1 is a copy of the
information prepared for this report by Norm Leggett of the Emergency Communications
Department. Appendix 2 is a GIS map of all the towers considered by this report. Appendix 3 is
a series of photographs of some of the towers mentioned in this report.
TOWERS OWNED BY MONROE COUNTY
As of January 31, 2000, there are approximately one hundred and ten (110) towers in the Florida
Keys which are taller than seventy (70) feet in height (this total does not include the towers
located on military property). If towers under seventy (70) feet are included, the total is closer to
one hundred and fifty (150). However, the Monroe County Wireless Communications Facility
Ordinance exempts towers of seventy (70) feet in height or less.
Monroe County has communications equipment on a total of thirty-two (32) towers across the
County, including all the incorporated areas. This figure equates to about twenty-one percent
(21 %) of all towers in the County. Of the thirty-two (32) towers containing County equipment,
Monroe County owns twenty (20), or about sixty-two percent (62%). The remaining twelve (12)
towers containing County-owned equipment are owned by private entities or other state or
federal agencies.
The towers owned by the County range in size from thirty-five (35) feet in height up to three
hundred and sixty (360) feet in height. The majority (60%) of the towers owned by the County
are less than one hundred (100) feet in height. The remaining eight (8) towers owned by the
county are taller than 100 feet in height. The chart below illustrates the heights of towers owned
by Monroe County:
295
246 246
200
150 160
60
70
70
70
80
80
80
90 100
Chart 1: Heights of Towers Owned by Monroe County
As the chart indicates, the majority of towers in the County are less than 100 feet in height. The
height of a tower is a determining factor in the amount and types of equipment which may be
located upon it. In most cases, the shorter the tower, the lower its ability to accommodate a lot of
equipment. Additionally, shorter towers lend themselves to communications systems which have
relatively lower power, cover relatively small areas with each antenna, and are made up of
multiple antennas dispersed evenly across the landscape. As a result, most short towers are used
by public agencies like Emergency Management or Public Works.
As mentioned earlier, there are twelve (12) other towers which contain County equipment, but
are not owned by Monroe County. Five (5) of these towers are owned by other state or federal
agencies, and seven (7) are owned by private entities. Of the seven towers owned privately, five
(5) provide space for County equipment free of charge. Monroe County pays for equipment
space on two of these privately-owned facilities. Rental rates will be discussed in a later section
of the report.
There are a large number of different users on the thirty-two (32) towers considered in this
report. The vast majority of users are associated with County functions, including: public safety,
fire/rescue, and emergency management. There are also a wide variety of state and federal users
with equipment on these towers. Additionally, there are some private users of county towers,
which are a significant source of revenue for the County. The pie chart below shows the
distribution of users of the towers considered in this report:
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
Page 2
~ -------,
I. Public Safety/EMS/Fire j
(30%) i
o Sheriff's Department (20%) I
II
I
IDOther (4%)
I
I. Emergency Management
I (14%)
10 State & Federal Agencies
I (13%) II
. Public Works/Social i
! Services (10%) 'I' I
I. Public Radio/Cellular (9%) ,I
II
~
_~H:" I
Chart 2: Distribution of Tower Users
As indicated in the chart above, half the equipment on the 32 towers considered in this report is
devoted to public safety and police protection. The other half is devoted to other county services,
state and federal services, and other private uses. These private users are the primary source of
revenue for the County.
LOCATION OF TOWERS
The towers either owned or used by the County are distributed somewhat evenly across the Keys.
The map included as Appendix 2 shows the location of these towers. The towers which are
owned by the County are concentrated in the incorporated areas, which is not surprising since
wireless services are most needed in urban areas. Of the twenty (20) towers owned by the
county, twelve (12) are found within the boundaries ofIslamorada, Marathon, and Key West.
The towers which are not owned by Monroe County, but which contain County equipment are
primarily located in unincorporated areas. Of the twelve (12) towers used but not owned by the
County, only four (4) are located in incorporated areas (Layton & Marathon). The chart below
shows the county-wide distribution of towers, either owned by the County or used by the County
but owned by others:
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
o
North Key Key Largo Islamorada Layton Marathon Lower Keys Key West
Largo
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
Page 3
It is interesting to note that most of the County communications equipment is centered on towers
in Marathon and the Lower Keys. It is also interesting to note that North Key Largo, Key Largo,
and Key West all have a similar number of facilities.
The distribution of County communications towers/equipment sites is somewhat constant across
the three sub districts in the Keys. The Upper Keys have a total of 11 towers/facilities. The
Middle Keys have a total of 10, and the Lower Keys (including Key West) have a total of 11
towers/facilities
CONDITION OF TOWERS
Information on the condition of county-owned towers was also requested to be included within
this report. It is difficult to accurately present the condition of a particular tower without
performing a structural analysis, so this report will focus on the more general principles
associated with tower conditions.
There are three main characteristics which affect the condition of a tower: type oftower, age, and
the degree to which its structural capacity is met or exceeded by the amount of equipment on the
tower.
Currently, all the towers owned by the County are either guyed towers or self-supporting (three
legs with interlaced steel webbing between the legs). These two configurations are the easiest to
upgrade (as opposed to monopoles, which are difficult to upgrade on an incremental basis).
However, it is more difficult to properly maintain these tower types since they depend upon a
great many movable parts.
A tower's age is probably the most important aspect in determining a tower's condition, which is
especially true in marine conditions where a great deal of salt and moisture in the air is present.
Over time, salt corrodes the steel legs, structural members, and bolts which make up the tower.
As the metal corrodes, the overall strength of the structure diminishes.
The amount of equipment on a tower also plays a big part in the tower's condition. When a tower
is designed, a finite amount of structural capacity (ability to support wireless equipment) is
included in its design. As additional equipment is placed upon a tower, it gets closer and closer
to its structural capacity, or the limit of its ability to safely accommodate the equipment and still
stand during severe weather events. A tower can accommodate more equipment than its
indicated structural capacity since engineers usually include a "safety factor" in the amount of
equipment (or load) that a tower can safely carry. However, if a tower has more equipment than
it is designed for, overtime this additional stress can weaken the tower's structural components
(legs, bolts, structural members, etc.). In this situation, the tower can appear to be fine, but
inside, the metal stress is beyond the metal's ability to stand up to that stress. The lifespan of a
tower is reduced by placing more equipment than it is able to carry. It is important to remember
that equipment is not just the antennas one sees on the tower. In fact, most of the weight comes
from the coaxial cable lines which connect the antennas to the radio equipment located on the
ground.
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
Page 4
According to the report by Norm Leggett, three (3) of the twenty (20) towers owned by Monroe
County have been replaced within the last three years. Additionally, eight (8) towers are either of
minimal height, or in good condition. The remaining nine (9) towers .do not meet current
building regulations and will have to be replaced. The chart below shows the distribution of
county towers which are in good condition versus those which are not in good condition:
Do NOT meet
building codes ___
47%
New or Recently
Replaced
15%
Minimum Height
or Good
Condition
40%
Chart 4: Distribution of County-Owned Towers by Condition
As the chart indicates, almost half (47%) of the towers owned by the County will NOT meet our
own building regulations and should be replaced. The Emergency Communications Department
has been trying to address this problem by working with other Monroe County Departments.
There are proposals being developed to replace three (3) of the nine (9) overstressed towers
owned by the County. Nextel is seeking to rebuild the old translator towers on Grassy Key and
West Summerland Key. Motorola has a proposal to reconstruct the translator tower at the North
Key Largo Transfer Station so as to accommodate Sheriff s equipment. The Planning
Department is working with these applicants and Emergency Communications to ensure that
these proposals can be realized.
THE V ALUE OF TOWERS
The request by the Board of County Commissioners in July of 1999 also requested information
on the value of the County-owned tower system. This is a difficult question to answer for a
variety of reasons. The Monroe County Property Appraiser considers property owned by the
County to be exempt, so the tax roles do not reflect any realistic valuation figures. Additionally,
most County-owned tower facilities are located on parcels which also contain other county
buildings, which makes it difficult to separate the values of the tower facilities themselves.
Shortly after the Planning Department prepared the Monroe County Tower Inventory, it worked
with the Property Appraiser's office to revise the valuations of the towers in Monroe County.
Since the Planning Department's records were used as a basis, there were some figures for
County-owned towers included. Those figures are presented in the table below. However, it is
important to remember that currently, the Property Appraiser only evaluates the value of the land
and the steel used in the tower to determine the taxable value of the facility. Most of the value
from these facilities comes from the equipment located within the equipment shelters, not the
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
Page 5
costs of the tower itself. Therefore, the valuations as prepared by the Property Appraiser do not
capture the "true" value of a tower facility. Additionally, because the tower ordinance exempts
towers under seventy (70) feet in height, any tower with a height lower than 70 feet was not
included in the Tower Inventory data. As a result, there is not Property Appraiser data available.
Despite these issues, there is some information on the value of County towers listed in the table
below. Readers should be cautioned that these values and the corresponding total are
underestimates of the true value of the County-wide tower system.
As the table above indicates, the vast majority of towers owned by Monroe County are not
considered, and as a result, the total system value is underestimated. Additionally, the figures
listed above are only based upon the value of the tower's themselves, not the value of the
equipment operating on the tower, which is far greater. Finally, the valuation estimates taken
from the Property Appraiser are only estimates which mayor may not have been refined since
the information was delivered to the Planning Department in June of 1999.
The report prepared by Norm Leggett of the Emergency Communications Department does
include some information on the value of towers which have been replaced or are under
negotiations to be replaced by the private sector. According to the report, one tower at the
Plantation Government Center (the galvanized one, not the red and white one) and the tower atop
the Key West Court House have been replaced by private sector cellular phone service
companies. The Plantation Key tower was replaced in 1996 by Bellsouth Mobility, and the Key
West Courthouse roof-mounted tower was replaced by Sprint Spectrum in 1998. According to
the report, Bellsouth Mobility spent over $750,000 to replace the Plantation tower, and Sprint
spent over $125,000 for the tower on the Key West Courthouse.
In addition to these two replacement scenarios, Omnipoint (another cellular phone service
provider) constructed and donated a tower to Monroe County for use by the Sheriffs office at
the Stock Island Detention Facility. According to the report by the Emergency Communications
Department, over $250,000 was spent in the construction of this facility.
All told, the private sector has spent $1,125,000 in the construction of new or replacement towers
owned by Monroe County. The Emergency Communications Department is in the process of
negotiating with Nextel to replace two more county translator towers, one on Grassy Key and
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
Page 6
one on West Summerland Key. The estimated cost of replacement is around $1.5 to $2 million
dollars. In addition, Motorola has expressed a desire to rebuild the translator tower at the North
Key Largo Transfer Station for the Sheriffs office. It would be safe to assume this construction
cost to be from $750,000 to $1 million. In summary, if Nextel and Motorola decide to move
forward, $2.25 to $3 million will be spent replacing three additional County-owned towers,
bringing the total spent to around $4,000,000 for the replacement/new construction of 6 County-
owned towers.
RENTAL REVENUE GENERATED
Existing and new County-owned towers can be a major source of revenue. The optimal situation
for the County is one where a private entity builds or replaces a tower facility for the County,
gives it to the County, and then pays a monthly rental fee for placing their equipment on the
tower. This situation occurs at the Stock Island Detention Facility and the Key West Courthouse.
In the case of the Stock Island Detention Facility, Omnipoint pays the County$7,500 per year for
space on the tower. Their contract runs for fifteen (15) years and the rent increases four percent
(4%) annually. Over the term of the lease, the County could realize as much as $150,000.
The Key West Courthouse facility currently contains Nextel and Sprint equipment. Sprint pays
an annual lease of $18,000 with an annual increase of four percent (4%) for a period of fifteen
(15) years. Over the full term of the lease, the county stands to gain $360,000. Nextel also has
equipment on the tower, and pays an annual amount of $20,000 for the space. They also have a
lease term of fifteen (15) years with an annual increase of four percent (4%). Over the life of this
lease, the County will collect $400,000. At this point, the tower atop the County Courthouse will
generate $760,000 over the next fifteen years.
Currently, the County rents tower space to three private companies, for which it will receive over
$910,000 provided all three companies maintain their leases for fifteen years. In addition to the
rental revenue, the County received the rebuilt structures at no cost. These kinds of arrangements
should be encouraged wherever possible. Most private companies have the resources to construct
these facilites, and ultimately, are only interested in providing their services, not maintaining
significant structures.
The County does provide space on some of its facilities to other public agencies and enterprises
at no cost. The sharing of space on tower facilities among government entities has long been a
common practice, and should continue. The provision of free space to other governmental
agencies on County towers often means the county may place equipment on other governmental
entities' towers at no cost to the County. This spirit of collaboration is important and should be
fostered into the future even though it may cost the county some potential revenue based upon
the loss of structural capacity on some of the County's towers.
POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL REVENUE
As mentioned in an earlier section, the County receives about $45,500 a year from renting space
on County towers to private cellular companies. There is a strong potential to increase this figure
in the future. The $45,500 comes from tower facilities which are new or have been rebuilt.
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
Page 7
As mentioned in a previous section, several of the County's towers are of minimal height. These
facilities do not have much potential for collocation, and as such, do not have much potential for
contributing additional revenue to the County. The remaining nine towers (47%) do not meet
building codes, and are overstressed. It would not be safe to place additional equipment on these
towers, so there is no potential for additional revenue until these towers are replaced.
The County is working on the replacement of three of these nine towers. In at least two of these
scenarios, there is a private company seeking to reconstruct existing facilities for the County.
The details of lease amounts are not known at the time this report is being prepared. However, a
pre-application conference was held with Nextel during which Emergency Communications and
the Planning Department requested that any rebuilt towers contain enough structural capacity for
the current amount of County equipment, proposed future County equipment, Nextel's
equipment AND three additional cellular carrier's equipment. If the rental rates charged to Sprint
in Key West can be used as a basis, then the County stands to gain an additional $1 million in
revenue over fifteen years from each of the two towers being rebuilt. The exact terms of the
proposed Motorola reconstruction of the North Key Largo translator tower are not yet clear, but
provisions for additional structural capacity should be included in negotiations.
In addition to working for the reconstruction of the nine County towers which are overstressed,
the County should seek to further maximize the collocation potential on the three towers which
have been rebuilt already.
Finally, it will be important for the County to advocate for common application of wireless
communication facility regulations county-wide since twelve of the County's towers are located
in other jurisdictions.
By working to replace the overstressed towers with new towers built to include extra structural
capacity, encouraging carriers to place equipment on existing County facilities, and advocating
for the application of common tower regulations county-wide, the potential revenue stream to
Monroe County can be increased well beyond its current limits~ The exact amount of additional
revenue to be captured is limited only by technology. As wireless equipment becomes smaller
and more prevalent, the potential for revenue only increases. However, the County must be
poised to take advantage of the increased demand for wireless services by having facilities which
are capable of accommodating these facilities, and regulations which encourage the use of
existing facilities as opposed to the construction of new ones.
SUMMARY
In summary, there are around 150 towers in Monroe County ranging in heights from thirty-five
feet to over six hundred feet. The County has equipment on thirty-two (32) towers across
Monroe County. The County owns twenty (20) of these towers, which is about twenty-one
percent (21%) of all the towers across the County. There are twelve (12) other towers which
contain County equipment, but are owned by other parties. The county enjoys free space on ten
(10) of these towers, and pays rent on a remaining two (the total rent currently paid is $724.00
per year).
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
Page 8
The distribution of towers either owned by the County or housing County equipment are rather
uniform across the Keys, with eleven (11) in the Upper Keys and Lower Keys, and ten (10) in
the Middle Keys. Sixty percent (60%) of the towers owned by the County are located within the
incorporated areas of Islamorada, Marathon, and Key West. Most of the towers owned by others,
but which contain County equipment, are located in unincorporated areas.
The condition of the towers owned by the County is somewhat evenly distributed between
towers which are in good condition, and those which must be replaced. Forty-seven percent
(47%) of the towers owned by the County do not meet current building conditions and must be
replaced. The remaining fifty-three percent (53%) are in good condition, but the majority of
these are too short to be viable for collocation or additional revenue generation.
The County currently receives $45,500 each year in rental revenue from three County-owned
facilities. There are proposals to reconstruct two or possibly three additional towers which have
provisions for extra structural capacity. If the extra structural capacity is realized from two of
these three towers, the total rental revenue could grow from its current $910,000 amount to
$3,000,000. Collocations with public agencies and other governmental have historically been and
should continue to be free so as to facilitate good service to the public and beneficial reciprocal
relationships.
Additional revenue to the County could come from reconstruction scenarios like those proposed
by Nextel as well as by maximizing the potential for collocation on the already rebuilt towers.
Additionally, the County should advocate for consistent regulations on collocation across the
county since 60% of its facilities are located in other jurisdictions.
Finally, the amount of revenue generated from collocation will never be that staggering, but can
assist the County in maintenance of its own facilities. From an accounting standpoint, it only
makes sense to encourage and pursue the collocation of private carrier's equipment on County-
owned facilites.
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
Page 9
APPENDIX 1
Report from Norm Leggett, Emergency
Communications Department
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
OK'!~Y ~O~~~E
(305) 294-4641
(-.- -----
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
MAYOR Shirley Freeman, District 3
Mayor Pro tern George Neugent, District 2
Commissioner Wilhelmina Harvey. District I
Commissioner Nora Williams. District 4
Commissioner Mary Kay Reich, District 5
Department of Emergency Communications
1 0600 Aviation Blvd.
Marathon, FL 33050
PH: (305-743-7570)
CTY EXT: 6035
FX: (305-289-6078)
MEMORANDUM
DATE:
December 10, 1999
Chad Meadows
Senior Compo Planner
G.N. Leggett, Senior Director ~"b---
TO:
FROM:
SUBJ:
Monroe County Towers
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Chad,
Please find attached the report you requested from an earlier Board request. 1 hope this
will suffice. The report basically lists our current tower inventory, tower users and recent
tower activities and contract negotiations.
I appreciate your patience while we were finishing the recent 911 upgrades for Y2K;
this took a priority with our time. Give me a call, should you need any additional
information.
CC: Mayor Pro Tern George Neugent
Reggie Paros, Director Public Safety Division
Tim J. McGarry, Director Growth Management
MONROECOUNTYTO~ROVERvmW
AUGUST 18. 1999
PREPARED BY
THE MONROE COUNTY
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
The Monroe County Emergency Communications Department has the
responsibility of maintaining and utilizing the County communications towers since 1989.
In 1996, the responsibility for the translator towers was designated to the Emergency
Communications Department after, translator funding was suspended by the Board of
County Commissioners.
Monroe County currently has 19 towers spread throughout the Keys from Key
Largo to Key West (attachment A). In addition, Monroe County also utilizes 12 other
towers either privately or governmentally owned (attachment B). Monroe County
currently maintains equipment at 31 tower sites. Due to the geographical layout of
Monroe County, this necessitates 3 to 4 times the number of facilities and equipment to
adequately provide radio coverage for emergency and county services.
In reference to the additional 12 sites utilized by Monroe County five (5) of these
sites are Federal or State owned. Past precedence established in governmental agencies
has been to share facilities with no cost to other governmental agencies. This precedence
has been established to assure Public Safety and Law Enforcement for the citizens within
each facilities communication range. The other 7 sites or privately owned and of these, 5
are donated as a public service and only 2 sites charge a minimal rental fee. (Attachment
B)
To address some ofthe recent concerns on "co-location", please review
attachment "A and B". Co-location has always been an important and necessary objective
to supply the public with public safety and governmental services.
To expand upon the 19 towers that Monroe County owns and maintains, this
Department's consensus is that 9 of these towers do not meet the current building
regulations and will have to be replaced. Three of the 19 towers have been replaced within
the last 3 years (Attachment C) and will meet current building codes. The other 7 towers
or of minimal height and in good condition.
The Emergency Communications Department's objective over the past several
years has been to involve private enterprise injoint ventures to attain the necessary capital
improvements for tower projects and replacements with a minimal impact to the taxpayer.
(See Attachment C) The Department has also negotiated license agreements with various
private entities to offset the recurring tower maintenance costs. (Attachment C)
ATTACHMENT "A"
PREPARED BY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
8-18-99
MONROE COUNTY TOWER FACILITIES
OWNED BY MONROE COUNTY
Card Sound Road Toll Booth
35 ft. Rohn
Users: Public Works
Emergency Management
Ocean Reef Public Safety
50 ft. Rohn
Users: Ocean Reef Public Safety
Sheriff's Department
Airport
State of Florida
Public Safety
Key Largo Translator Tower
346 ft. Pirod
Users: Public Safety
Sheriff's Department
Coast Guard
WLRN Public Radio
Emergency Medical Services
Key Largo Fire Station
70 ft. U.S. Towers
Users: Fire/Rescue
Emergency Management
A-I
Plantation Key Sherift"s Substation
295 ft. Rohn
Users: Sheriff's Department
Public Safety
Emergency Management
U.S. Customs
Fish & Game
Emergency Medical Services
Bell South Mobility
Plantation Key Emergency Operation Center
60 ft. Rohn
Users: Emergency Management
Public Safety
Public Works
Social Services
Emergency Medical Services
Islamorado Translator Tower
246 ft. Pirod
Users: Sheriff's Department
WLRN Public Radio
Public Safety
Grassy Key Translator Tower
246 ft. Pirod
Users: Public Safety
Social Service
Sheriff's Department
WLRN Public Radio
Marathon Government Annex
40 ft. Rohn
Users: Public Safety
Emergency Management
A-2
Marathon Sheriff's Substation
200 ft. Rohn
Users: Sheriffs Department
Public Safety
Emergency Management
Public Works
U. S. Marshall's service
Fish and Game
Marathon Fisherman's Hospital
90 ft. Rohn
Users: Emergency Medical Services
Public Safety
Hospital
Marathon Emergency Operations Center
80 ft. Rohn
Users: Emergency Management
Sheriff s Dept.
Public Safety
State Law Enforcement
Social Services
Public Works
U.S. Navy
Various Emergency Communication Users
West Summerland Translator Tower
360ft.Pirod
Users: Public Safety
Sheriff s Department
WLRN Public Radio
Big Coppitt Fire Station
70 ft. U.S. Tower
Users: Fire Rescue
Emergency Management
SherifP s Dept.
A-3
Lower Keys Hospital
80 ft. Rohn
Users: Emergency Medical Services
Public Safety
Emergency Management
Stock Island Sheriff's Headquarters
150 ft. Rohn
Users: Sheriff's Department
Public Safety
State Mutual Aid
Omnipoint Communications
Stock Island County Complex
100 ft. Rohn
Users: Public Works
Sigsbee Translator Tower
160 ft. Re-enforced Pirod
Users: Public Safety
State Joint Task Force law enforcement
Social Service
U.S. Navy
WLRN Public Radio
Key West Courthouse
80 ft. Pirod
Users: Sheriff's Office
Public Safety
Emergency Management
Fish & Game
Sprint Communications
Nextel Communications
A.4
ATTACHMENT "B"
PREPARED BY THE EMERGENCY COMMUNlCA TIONS DEPARTMENT
8-18-99
ADDITIONAL TOWERS UTILIZED BY MONROE COUNTY
OWNED BY OTHER ENTITIES
Bell South Mobility Tower
located at Ocean Reef
no cost to County
County Users: Sheriffs Department
Bell South Mobility Tower
located at Mile Marker 100
no cost to County
County Users: Public Safety
U.S. Customs Tower
located at Rock Harbor
no cost to County
County Users: Sheriffs Department
State Park Services Tower
located a Pennycamp
no cost to County
County Users: Sheriffs Department
Bell South Mobility Tower
located in Layton
no cost to County
County Users: Public Safety
State Joint Task Force Tower
located in Layton
no cost to County
County Users: Sheriffs Department
Emergency Management
B-1
Town Square Mall Tower
located in upper Marathon
County Users: Sheriff's Department
State Joint Task Force Tower
located at Marathon Government Center
County Users: Public Safety
WWUS, US 1 Radio Tower
located on Big Pine Key
County Users: Emergency Management
WWUS, US 1 Radio Tower
located on Ramrod Key
County Users: Sheriff's Department
Public Safety
Emergency Management
WEOW, Radio Tower
located on Cudjoe Key
Public Safety
Sheriff's Dept.
County Users: Sheriff's Department
Public Safety
Emergency Medical Services
State Joint Task Force Tower
located at Sugarloaf School
County Users: Sheriff's Department
Public Safety
B-2
$ 200.00 per month
no cost to County
no cost to County
no cost to County
$ 195.00 per Month
$ 329.00 per Month
no cost to County
ATTACHEMENT "C"
PREPARED BY THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
DEC. 8. 1999
RECENT AND PROPOSED TOWER REPLACEMENTS AND AGREEMENTS
Plantation Kev. SheritJ's Substation
The old Monroe County tower was erected in approximately 1977 and was in need
of replacement. In 1996 the Emergency Communications Department negotiated a
contract with Bell South Mobility to replace the tower at no cost to Monroe County. Bell
South Mobility completed the construction ofa replacement tower in 1997. The new
tower, generator, new equipment building and storage building for Public Works cost Bell
South in excess of$750,000.00 to complete this project.
Stock Island SheritJ's Administration
The Sheriff's Department needed a tower at their new Stock Island Administration
facility. In 1997, the Emergency Communications Department began negotiations with
Omnipoint, a personal communication service provider. Negotiations provided the Stock
Island facility a new 150 foot, self supporting tower, built by Omnipoint. The estimated
cost of construction for this project is $250,000.00 dollars. In addition to Omnipoint
financing the project they agreed to pay Monroe County $7,500.00 dollars per year with a
4% annual rental increase, for up to 15 years. Should this license agreement be utilized for
the full 15 year period, Monroe County will see rental revenues of over $150,000.00
dollars.
Kev West Courthouse
The Key West Courthouse for years had an old tower (100 foot) mounted on the
roof, from circa approximately 1977/78. This tower was in extremely poor condition and
in need of replacement. The Emergency Communications Department negotiated, in
1998, a contract with Sprint (a Personal Communications Service provider) Sprint
replaced the tower with a heavily designed 80 foot tower and also agreed to provide a
new communications building on the rooffor Monroe County. The estimated cost for this
project is in excess of$ 125,000.00 dollars in improvements for the County. In addition to
fully funding the project, Sprint agreed to pay a rental fee to Monroe County in the
amount of$ 18,000.00 dollars per year with a 4% annual increase, for up to 15 years.
Should this agreement be utilized for the full 15 years, Monroe County will see rental
revenues of over $360,000.00 dollars.
C-I
Nextel--Kev West Courthouse
After the completion by Sprint of the Key West Courthouse, the Emergency
Communications Department negotiated an agreement with Nextel, in 1999, to utilize
extra space on the Courthouse tower. Nextel agreed to pay Monroe County $20,000.00
dollars per year with a 4% annual increase, for up to 15 years. This agreement will provide
Monroe County with a potential revenue source of over $400,000.00 dollars.
Summation:
To date, the Communications Department has been able to replace two ofthe older tower
facilities and add one new tower facility, utilizing private industry funding. This equates to
over $1,125,000.00 dollars in capital improvements and provides a potential revenue
stream for Monroe County of $ 910,000.00 dollars.
Current
The Emergency Communications Department is currently negotiating contracts, with
private industry, to replace two of the County's seriously overloaded towers. This project
cost is estimated at 1.5 to 2 million dollars. Current negotiations are focusing on a large
potential revenue stream for Monroe County. The Emergency Communications
Department is expecting to bring this matter before the Board of County Commissioners
in early 2000.
Should there be any question, please feel free to contact me:
G. Norm Leggett, Senior Director
Monroe County, Emergency Communications Department
1 0600 Aviation Blvd.
Marathon, FL 33050
Ph: 305-289-6035
C-2
APPENDIX 2
GIS Map of Towers Discussed in This
Report
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
(')
...
I>>
:i"
OJ
a
I>>
0.
n
I>>
en
....
:i"
to
,.
3:
mO
o~
g;~
....(')
U'l0
Oc:
-::J
~
3:
o
::J
...,i
~(')
o
c:
::J
~
w3:
0)0
~::J
i
(')
o
c:
::J
~
(')
OJ
:i"
OJ
a
I>>
0.
n
I>>
en
....
:i"
to
N3:
80
.::J
~i
~(')
o
c:
::J
~
~3:
~o
::J
i
(')
o
c:
::J
~
'Ii'
~o
\
\
\
-i
:T
o
3
I>>
en
o
i
~3:
0)0
.::J
i
(')
o
c:
::J
~
~
I ;
I'.
~ \0
I>>N3: \
O~O
3:0l::J
(j) i
(')
o
c:
::J
~
....3:
0)0
~::J
i
(')
o
c:
::J
~
3:(')
(1)-
....(1)
a~
"0(')
(I):T
XI>>
::J
::J
~
"
5"
...
a:
I>>
o
3:
OJ
~
(j)
o
c:
.-
:T
3:
o
2:
~
c
(j)
(')
c:
en
....
o
3
,
I
i
I
~ i
. I
,j
~ I '-
~
N3:
COo
a:!::J
~i
~~
::J
~
""3:
~o
_ ::J
~i
g
c:
::J
~
(j)
....
I>>
.-
(I)
"tJ
I>>
~
(j)
(I)
<
~.
..... ......~.....a'
........-
....-.........-....... .............,...
..'
~3:
0)0
.::J
i
g
c:
::J
~
)>
-c
-c
CD
:J
C.
--
><
I\V
3:
o
::J
wi
u::!(')
o
c:
::J
~
OJ
~
(j)
o
c:
....
3:
o
::J
U'li
~(')
g
::J
~
APPENDIX 3
Photographs of Selected Towers
Discussed in This Report
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
100' Bellsouth Mobility tower at Ocean Reef Gatehouse,
Space donated to the Sheriff s Department
280 Bellsouth Mobility tower at Mile Marker 100,
Spaced donated to Monroe County Public Safety,
346' Translator Tower at North Key Largo Transfer
Station. Owned by Monroe County. Possible rebuild
by Motorola for the Sheriff's Department.
280' tower built for Monroe County by Bellsouth
Mobility at the Plantation Key Government Center.
Tower on the right is owned by the State of Florida,
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 3 I , 2000
230' guyed tower owned by the State of Florida in Long
Key State Park, Space donated to the Sheriffs Dept. and
Monroe County Emergency Management.
Tower atop Fisherman's Hospital owned by Monroe
County,
246' tower on Grassy Key owned by Monroe County,
Possible rebuild by Nextel.
Tower atop the Marathon Government Center owned
by Monroe County.
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31, 2000
246' guyed tower on West Summerland Key owned
by Monroe County. Possible rebuild by Nextel.
150' self-supporting tower at the Stock Island Detention
Center. Built by Omnipoint for Monroe County.
100' tower owned by Monroe County located at
The Stock Island Government Center.
Tower atop the Key West Courthouse, Rebuilt for
Monroe County by Sprint.
Report on Monroe County Communication Towers
January 31,2000