4 MARCH 1, 2001
Smoke Signals
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The new 200 foot tower is now completed WEST VALLEY VIEW - This view of the West Valley is looking north from the Tribe's new communications tower. The
and warning lights have been installed. tower is located directly north of the Tribe's Spirit Mountain Casino and Highway 18.
A View from the Tribe's New
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By Justin Phillips
It could save your life one day.
If you are a criminal, it could
destroy your lifer"" v
The Tribe's new communication's tower is now finished. The blinking
light at top of the 200-foot tall tower confirms it. This light has a long road
ahead. It just may blink forever.
The primary purpose of this tower is to enhance communications for emer
gency services in the Grand Ronde, Willamina and Sheridan areas.
The final section was added to the tower on February 8. Jodie Kraemer,
the Tribe's Telecommunications Specialist who was behind the project, stood
in the falling rain and snow and watched over as the last piece was con
structed. The first people to use this tower will be Polk County Emergency Services,
Yamhill County Emergency Services, Oregon State Police and Life Flight.
Negotiations for cell phone carriers and paging services are also in process.
"It's been a lot of hard work and team effort," said Kraemer. "We have had
nothing but positive response from people. It's going to be a real asset to the
community in the long term. It will really improve the area's communica
tions. "It feels good to be part of something that is positive for the community that
will make a difference for the better," said Kraemer. "Overall the project
went very well. It took some time, but by taking more time, we got every
thing done right the first time."
"This will help out tremendously on our radio communication in that area",
said Polk County Sheriff Bob Wolfe. "We, right now, have several dead spots
in that area and there are times when the officer is on their portable radio
and they can't contact the dispatch center because their radio is static, so
they have to get back into their car to make a radio transmission.
"It's basically going to greatly enhance our communication and officer safety
so that they don't miss radio transmissions," said Wolfe. "There are times
when an officer can get injured or shot at and they only have one brief
chance to get on the radio and if that transmission comes in just as static
transmission, often times in the Grand Ronde area we don't know if it's just
interference or someone trying to make a contact. That little bit of squelch
might go on unanswered. A few precious minutes could mean the difference
between life and death.
"The efforts of the Tribe and Jodie are tremendous. Hats off to her, she has
done a tremendous job," said Wolfe. "To have us involved in the process and
extend the opportunity to utilize some space on the tower is great. We are
going to do everything we can to make the best use of the space."
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FINISHING TOUCHES The Tribe's new communications tower is nearly
complete. Some finishing touches are being added to the tower and to the building on
site that will house tower equipment.
LOOK OUT BELOW -Climbers, like Merricom Communication's "Cable," use
a variety of safety gear when climbing the 200-foot tall tower. Safety harnesses com
plete with locking clamps are used to form a protective body suit that allows climbers
to secure themselves to the tower during their ascent.