E-911 antenna to be placed on Burr Oak water tower

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners this week approved a $1-a-year lease with the village of Burr Oak regarding the use of its water tower space for the county’s E-911 Central Dispatch.
Dennis Brandenburg, central dispatch director, said a receiving antenna will be placed on the tower to improve the quality of two-way communication between dispatchers and emergency personnel in the southeast quadrant of the county. Brandenburg said the antenna was necessary because dispatchers currently have trouble hearing radio communication from police, fire and ambulance personnel. Reception from central dispatch to emergency crews, however, has always been clear, he said.
Equipment will cost nearly $17,000, he added, and the work should be completed by the end of November.
The initial term of the lease will be for a five-year period.