Three new radio towers are being built in Portage County, and should increase safety forces’ ability to respond to emergencies and save lives.
The $7 million project to build the Multi-Agency Radio Communications System towers is a collaboration of the Portage County Emergency Management Agency, Portage County Commissioners, Ohio Department of Administrative Services MARCS office, James A. Garfield Local Schools, Village of Garrettsville, Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Deerfield and Suffield townships.
Representatives of the partners broke ground Jan. 22 on one of the towers, at James A. Garfield Local Schools property in Garrettsville. The other sites are Ohio Department of Transportation property on State Route 14 in Deerfield, and Ohio Department of Natural Resources property on Waterloo Road in Suffield. The lattice MARCS towers will stand 330 feet tall.
Ryan Shackelford, director of the Portage County EMA, said while the towers in Deerfield and Garrettsville are moving forward, the Suffield tower is delayed.