It’s not often that you get to wake up and give thanks that you are out of a job, but County Administrator Richard Boeckman got to do that Monday morning.
“I remember thinking, when I got up this morning, ‘I’m no longer the 911 director, Doug Hubbard is.’”
Hubbard started his first official day in charge of County Communications Monday and he’s already up and running, getting involved in the work that is going on to get Barton County into the narrow band communications business, and Barton County Commissioners approved, Monday, steps in that direction.
Meeting with the commissioners Monday, Hubbard said he’s obviously still working to get up to speed in the new job, though he’s got a leg up, since he’s been involved in Barton County emergency services since 1974.
He told the commissioners that one of his goals to start with is to work to recognize the value of the dispatchers. “It needs to be a good job and they need to be recognized for what they do.”
He also acknowledged he’s keeping busy getting up to speed on the current tower changes.
Monday the commissioners approved two arrangements for tower use as part of the continuing project to make the county ready for the narrow band radio systems that are being required around the state.
Commissioners approved an agreement with Claflin to use its city water tower for antenna placement.
They approved a three-year lease with no cost to the county for placement.
They also approved a lease with Mid-Kansas, Inc., which is part of Cox Communications, for a fee of $200 per month.
Boeckman explained that would have been $300 per month, but the county is providing a generator for the equipment at its expense.
This is also a three-year agreement, though there will be an increase of 3 percent each year in the price, he added.
The tower is also in the northern part of the county and together these two will help to improve county communications in that area.
Both agreements were approved.