The City of Morro Bay has been using the same emergency radio system infrastructure since before the 2000s and city officials say it’s time for an upgrade.
“Decades old infrastructure and so there are some dark spots throughout the city where the police radios don’t work currently, and so it’s very important for us to update that technology," said John Craig, Morro Bay city manager.
Some of those dead zones are currently in the northern part of the city and along South Bay Boulevard where people and officers cannot communicate.
Craig told KSBY News estimates for the radio replacement project are between $1.5 million and $2 million.
“The council has now for two years put in $317,000 into the city’s budget,” Craig said.
Now, $1.38 million in state funding is headed to the city to help bridge that gap.
Assemblymember Dawn Addis told KSBY News the money will help the city get in line with the rest of San Luis Obispo County and meet requirements for the Department of Justice to protect people’s personally identifiable information.
“Be able to protect that information even during communications, so it’s vital funding to upgrade the system and also create more safety for the officers," Addis said.
Addis added that being from the area, she knows how vital emergency communications can be for small coastal towns.
“Right now, we’re seeing the second and third largest wildfires in California just to our north, our neighbors in Big Sur, and so we know that disaster can strike at any time," Addis said.
Craig said that the city is reviewing three radio tower sites to determine the best locations, while also finalizing designs and plans for the project.
“Some of them were in such poor repair we were thinking they might fall down, and so obviously it’s a big capital project need that we had," Craig said.
He adds that the funds are in the state budget and waiting on the governor’s signature.
