HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2005City of Evanston
Emergency Telephone Systems Board
E9-1-1 Committee Meeting
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Board Members Present: Alderman Edmund Moran, Alderman Ann Rainey, Chief Frank
Kaminski
Staff Present: Alan Berkowsky, Patrick Casey, Perry Polinski, Dave Cook, Tom
Janetske, Demitrous Cook, Meghann Horstmann
Presiding 01113cer: Alderman Edmund Moran
Summary of Action: Aid. Moran, Committee Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM
Approval of Minutes:
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION:
Ordinance 108-0-05: Change in Membership of the Emergency Telephone System Board:
Discussed a change the current structure of the Board so Perry Polinski will be a voting member and
that the language reflect that two alderman be appointed instead of specifying Alderman from
Committees. Mr. Casey will send to the Administration and Public Works Committee. The ordinance
was moved by Alderman Rainey, seconded by Chief Kaminski and approved with no corrections.
Verbal Report Ceiling Collapse — Dispatch Center and Emergency Purchase — Ceiling Repair:
The ceiling collapsed due to moisture and condensation causing the metal ceiling beams to rust and
collapse. It is estimated that ceiling repair will take betwcen two to three weeks to complete. The
9-1-1 employees are currently working in the service center until the ceiling is finished and facilities
Management is currently re -wiring cables and repairing windows. Facilities Management is working
with architect Eliot Dudnick and Great Lakes Construction with a current estimated expense of
S 30,000. It is estimated that the E9-1-1 center will be shut down for three weeks to protect the
employees. City Council approval is necessary in terms of contracting for the repairs, which will be
funded by the E9-1-1 committee. The bid will be needed for the final repairs and purchase. The
E9-1-1 committee will authorize the purchase, but it will also need to be approved by the City Council.
Patrick Casey will hold weekly meetings to keep up-to-date with the repair process with Facilities
Management, the Police Department, and the Fire Department. A motion was made to approve the
described plan and for a preliminary approval of the pending cost. The repairs will be moved forward„
however it will not be considered an emergency purchase. This was moved by Alderman Rainey,
seconded by Chief Kaminski and approved with no corrections
Change Order design services for Emergency Generator at the Service Center:
The Data Center within the Service Center is complete and the design work for the back-up generator
needs to begin. A change order represents the cost to restart the design engineering. The City
originally waited because the project was too big to handle both the data center and the generator at the
same time. The original engineer will complete the project. The Data Center is currently operating
well and will last for about 20 years. All the technical equipment will be moved to the new building
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over the next 18 months. The change order was moved by Alderman Rainey, seconded by Chief Kaminski and
approved with no corrections
Purchase of Radio Equipment for the Command Van:
The City needs new equipment for the Command Center. The Police currently have no dependable way of
communicating with other law enforcement agencies. The Police Department is requesting approval of
equipment through a :Motorola vendor which includes computers, printers, and data terminals. The City
contracts through DeII for their standard computers, however, Panasonic Toughbooks are needed because they
are specially designed for field work and DeII does not carry a comparable computer. All Police and Fire
employees will need to be trained by Geographic Information Systems to use the new equipment, which will
also include two-way mobile radios to detect weather hazards. The computers in the Command Van are
operated by trained staff. The new equipment will assist with cases dealing with hazardous waste, hostage
situations and water problems. The purchase should not exceed S 15.000, however, the contract will need to be
bid and contain back-up information. The equipment will be mounted in the Command Van and will only be
available to staff. Alderman Rainey recommended that this move forward quickly due to the high importance
and that it has already been budgeted for. Alderman Rainy approved and Chief Kaminski seconded that this
purchase move forward quickly with the cost not to exceed $15,000.00.
Purchase of Radio-Iateroperability Deice:
This radio will be able to interface multiple agencies and allow all the agencies to speak to each other.
The radio will be portable, but will rernain in the E94-I Center. The Water Department and Public
Works can be added in case of emergencies. Each radio will have a different patch and cords, and will be
operated on one band to decrease communication problems. The radio device is used by many
municipalities. The radio will be used for emergencies and special events. The radio and operator will be able
to respond from home and from the network with Public Works and the Illinois State Police. The radio operates
with a VHF/UHF system so responders can hear requests over the radio system between departments. The
interoperability radio is separate from the police radio and will be able to cover all of Cook County. The City is
looking to purchase between five and seven total radios with an estimated cost of 510,000; however a discount
will be applied if the City decides to order ten radios. Alderman Moran encouraged moving the proposal
forward and adding it to the next meeting agenda with a formal proposal available. Alderman Rainey approved
and Chief Kaminski seconded.
Verbal Update on Emergency Blue Light Phones:
The board agreed that it is necessary to redesign the blue light phone graphics quickly. Northwestern
University student government has requested to add the phones to the -I." stops/stations. Alderman
Moran agreed that emergency blue light phones should be placed around transportation hubs. The
phone should be placed on the platform and in the pay center of the "L" stations. Prior research has
proven that high crime targets are on the "L". However, it was noted that the City may need CTA
approval to place blue light phones in stations. The placement of phones around CTA stations will
also benefit the public due to complications with emergency cellular phone calls and problems
associated with residents having connected internet and telephone plans which result in voice over internet
protocol (VOIP) calls. The Board is awaiting the University's response regarding funding of these phones.
The board decided to try to meet in October to discuss next year's budget for approval.
The committee adjourned at 8:15 PM
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