Allen County Sheriff Anthony Maness appeared before the county commissioners Tuesday morning to clarify a lingering question: Who is responsible for the county’s 500-foot communications tower at the landfill?
Originally proposed in 2018 by then-Sheriff Bryan Murphy, the tower was intended to improve communication among county law enforcement agencies. The location — at the center of the county — was chosen for optimal coverage. However, its $1 million price tag initially delayed the project.
Ultimately, the project moved forward in early 2022 with funding from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation. Maness credited 911 Director Chelsie Decker for reviving the discussion, and noted that Sheriff Murphy had assumed responsibility for the tower after construction.
Now, maintenance issues have emerged, prompting Maness to revisit the chain of responsibility. “As I’ve been digging into it, it turns out that we took everything from the old tower site and put it on our new tower, which makes sense,” said Maness. “But we’ve got EMS on there, county public works, and the sheriff’s office. So, I’m wondering, is this our tower? Is this the county’s tower?”
Currently, the tower needs two guy wire grounds to be replaced and an update to its plumb and tension. Guy wire grounds are the anchor points that keep the structure stable, while plumb and tensioning ensure the tower remains upright and secure.
“We’ve had some lightning strikes and it has hit the guy wires,” Maness said.
Topeka-based Hayden Tower Service, which was involved in the tower’s installation, has quoted the repair job at $6,575. “If it’s our tower, we need to talk to our partners and figure out how to help supplement this cost,” Maness added.
Commissioner David Lee agreed, suggesting the responsibility should be shared among all the county departments and agencies that rely on the tower.
Commissioner Jerry Daniels suggested paying for the Hayden Tower maintenance out of the general fund and categorizing it as an emergency repair. “I think we should give the sheriff latitude to move forward,” he said. Commissioners Lee and John Brocker agreed.
Though no formal vote was taken, commissioners gave Maness the green light to seek additional bids and proceed with repairs, using the general fund.
MANESS ALSO introduced a proposed maintenance agreement with Clifford Power Systems, Inc. of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for servicing the generator at the site. The agreement would cost $5,995 for the first year, and then $2,068 and $2,398 for the following two years.
“This isn’t as big of a priority as the repairs by Hayden Tower,” said Maness. “It’s more of a ‘what if’ something happens.”
After reviewing the maintenance items, Lee noted, “It looks like a lot of that stuff we can do internally. Obviously there’s some electronics that we wouldn’t want to mess with, but some of the other things we could probably take care of.”
The tower underwent an inspection in April 2024 at a cost of about $10,000, but no maintenance was conducted at that time. Maness noted there is currently no maintenance contract in place.
No action was taken on the maintenance agreement with Clifford Power Systems.
IN A RELATED matter, Maness informed the commission the county is still paying $400 per month to lease the site of the former communications tower north of LaHarpe.
