County hears $20 million communications project timeline; radios cost estimated at $11,000 each

St. Croix County project staff gave a monthly update on a roughly $20,000,000 communications and tower project, describing site agreements, phased procurement and a multi‑year timeline for implementation.

The presenter said the county is finalizing an agreement with St. Croix Electric to place one tower on their land and is preparing multiple bid packages covering civil work, fencing, shelters, microwave equipment and other items. He described phase scheduling: roughly nine months to prepare bid documents and award contracts, then about two years for on‑the‑ground work given permitting and procurement timelines.

In a question‑and‑answer exchange, the presenter said "A two‑band radio nowadays is $11,000 for a portable radio." He added that county departments hold about 420 radios and that fire and EMS combined have roughly 1,400 units; staff plans to survey end users to finalize quantities before issuing contracts to help control costs.

Officials said several permits and federal reviews are expected to take a year or more before tower construction can begin, and that the project will require coordination across county departments and external agencies.