The Kenai City Council voted to authorize a budget transfer to provide supplemental funding to the Fire Station #2 Station Alerting Project and the Dispatch Base Station Radio Replacement Project. Funding was provided through the State Homeland Security Program 2019 to upgrade and install station alerting equipment at the airport station (station 2) as well as radio upgrades to the 911 Dispatch Center. Upon completion of the original project, operations and functionality of the apparatus bay doors at both Station 2 and Station 1 were lost or partially lost. As a result, additional work was needed to complete the interface with station alerting at Station 2 as well as work to regain local operations/control of the bay doors through the dispatch center at Station 1.
City Manager Paul Ostrander, “This is the project that seems to never end. This is the station alerting for station number 2. We were trying to connect Station 2 to Station 1. While we were connecting to 1, we lost operations in station 1 because of some old wiring. This is additional appropriation for this project to bring that wiring up to date so that station 1 is fully functional. Essentially, we lost some of station 1 functionality, as we’re bringing station 2, this will get both stations up to full functionality.”
Kachemak Electric was tasked with completing the interface at Station 2. Bids have been received from Kachemak Electric, US Digital Design, and Randy’s Glass that combined, come to $10,643 to purchase equipment/materials needed and labor to restore operational functions at Station 1, including connectivity to upgraded equipment installed by ProComm during the Dispatch Base Station Radio Upgrade.
In unanimously passing Ordinance 3205-2021, a budget transfer would be authorized in the general fund from the Fire Department to non-departmental as well as increase estimated revenues and appropriations in the Public Safety Improvement Capital Project Fund to cover the project.
