County officials moving forward with tower construction project

Comanche County officials have the pieces in place that will allow them to replace a guyed communications tower in Medicine Park.

Emergency Management Director Clint Langford said while he doesn’t expect installation of that tower to begin for several months, the project is expected to be completed by summer.

Comanche County commissioners, acting in their capacity as the Comanche County Facilities Authority, approved a $206,095 contract with Allstate Tower Inc., Henderson, Kentucky, in early December, setting the process into motion to replace what officials call the Big Rock tower, located on the rocky hillside that overlooks Medicine Park. Emergency management officials have been discussing replacement of that tower for years, but funding finally came as Comanche County commissioners settled on the projects that would be funded with the county’s share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money.

The facilities authority awarded the contract to Allstate Tower Inc. Dec. 2, then voted late last week to approve the agreement, bonds and certificates of insurance needed for the project.

Langford said the actual launch of construction is being guided by the need to order the tower and materials needed for the on-site work. Under the terms of the contract, the company must complete the entire project no later than 55 days from the date the Notice to Proceed is issued for construction, with liquidated damages of 2 percent of the contract price per day, for each calendar day of delay. The contract also specifies the contract is expected to provide all certificates and permits from state, municipal or other public authorities, and scheduling any needed inspections. Langford said he expects construction to be completed by summer.

Commissioners agreed in early August to allocate their remaining ARPA money to build a new Big Rock Tower near Medicine Park and Lake Lawtonka, with the funding coming from remaining monies when a $2.5 million allocation for new mobile and portable radios and related equipment came in cheaper than projected.

Langford said the emergency officials have wanted the tower for years. He said communications towers are inspected every five years, and the last inspection on the Big Rock tower cited what engineers said was a weakness: it is made of pipes, rather than the solid metal rods used for such construction today.

“We’re looking at a tower of the same height, but made of solid rods for stability,” Langford said, adding the new tower will be rebuilt in the same location as the existing one.

The project also is expected to include installation of radio interface, connecting the tower to the E-911 communications center in southwest Lawton.