Joe Steele thinks his crew can meet the deadline of September 19 to have the cell tower up and at least very close to running. As he laid out the schedule in his head for drilling the 32-foot hole, filling it with water as they go, then putting the casement in, filling it with concrete and letting it set, plus the tower raising and device positioning, he was optimistic it was possible.

He and his co-worker Luke Boultinghouse flew in from Rock Island earlier this week and were raring to go. They were still waiting on barricades and detour signs Wednesday at noon, but hope was still in the air that with the Bakery Building gone, things would move smoothly. That would be a good idea, as their flight back to Illinois is scheduled for September 17.

The Fire Department’s “Island E.O.C. Emergency Communications and Interoperability Working Group” responsible for creating a new network of emergency communications – both on and just off island – is steadily moving forward. In fact, their efforts have now been stepped up to “Mission Critical” status, after a near-miss from Hurricane Idalia and other systems out in the Atlantic on the move.   

The Group’s communications subcommittee is working with Motorola and Suncoast Expeditionary Associates to optimize their efforts in creating a backup auxiliary emergency communications system.  Which will allow representatives from all of the island’s key organizations – such as the school, fire, deputies, the GICIA, the Boca Grande Community Center and others – to communicate with each other in the event we have no cell service for any reason.