The Town of Liberty held a public meeting last Saturday morning to discuss a proposed emergency services radio tower being built next to the Liberty/Dowelltown Fire Hall just off Highway 70. Officials say the 300-foot tower is needed to fix dead zones around the area where emergency radios are unable to communicate with E-911, posing a risk to first responders and area residents.

The new state-funded tower would be funded at no cost to either the county or city governments, and if built next to the fire hall would provide the building with emergency backup power in the event of a disaster such as a tornado. Backup generators, that cost $40,000 for the tower, would also provide power to the fire hall.

While many area residents seem to be in favor of the tower, some have reservations, citing it as an eyesore as the main complaint. The Liberty/Dowelltown Fire Hall sits on county land jointly owned by both towns, but is not in either city limits. While Dowelltown has reportedly already approved the state’s request to build the tower, the Town of Liberty has yet to make a decision.

County officials say the site is not in the actual city limits of either town, meaning it is not subject to city ordinances or restrictions, but they would like permission from the land owners for its construction.

At the meeting, DeKalb E-911 Director Brad Mullinax addressed the meeting and the need for the tower, explaining how there are dead zones around Liberty and Dowelltown, which site in a valley surrounded by hills.

“We have struggled with communications in DeKalb County for at least 25 years and done everything that we could to fix the system. Our system is very antiquated and that’s why we ditched the old analogue system and decided to sign on with TACN. It is a state-of-the-art radio system that is interconnected across the entire state. We have never had good radio coverage in Liberty and Dowelltown so we started looking at ways to fix that with the TACN system,” Mullinax explained.

Director of the Tennessee Advanced Communication Network Jeff Gray told those in attendance that it would not be a cell tower and that the frequencies used are in a narrow band. The tower would only be used for public safety and would be funded and maintained by the Tennessee Advanced Communications (TACN) network.

“As far back as 2012 the state got funding to build out the statewide radio system for in-vehicle coverage which is high powered radio,” said Gray. “We got funding in 2023 to build out the rest of the system to fill in gaps so that primarily all state users, THP, TDOT, TWRA, state parks, etc. could be outside the vehicle to talk. The goal is to have portable coverage across most of the state of Tennessee focusing on the interstates and major highways like Highway 70 and 96 in DeKalb County and other state highways that converge as well as the county seats and high-density population areas.”

and County Mayor Matt Adcock. County Fire Chief Donny Green and Interim EMS Director Trent Phipps were also at the meeting in support.

“How it impacts Liberty is that while this community is beautiful it’s in a hole,” Gray continued. “There are ridges around it and it makes coverage difficult. For a radio to talk it has to be able to see the other radio so we have to get them up high especially on ridgelines so we can talk on either side of the ridge and down in the valley. That’s the benefit and why Liberty was selected.”

While all in attendance at the meeting seemed to agree that the tower is needed, some present at the meeting questioned why there were not other options for the proposed tower. “I think everybody here is in agreement that we need it. It’s just where it goes. There is only one option on the table and that doesn’t make sense to me,” said one Liberty resident.

Gray explained that setting up on existing cell towers, would not work due to lease issues, placement of equipment, and locations. “If Liberty says no, we will have to look for another spot,” said Gray. “The challenge is we will have to find another spot with an equal height that allows us to look over the topography.”

County Mayor Matt Adcock spoke at the meeting explaining that the current proposal is the only one that Liberty could vote on. Other sites would most likely be located in the county or private property, not in the city limits of Liberty or on property owned by the town.

Others seemed to be in favor of the tower, including one resident that live directly across from the fire hall. “I live right in front of the fire department and have for almost 43 years. I don’t understand what the big deal is about the tower. It is needed. The communication down here has been sorry for years. This tower is going to go in my front door. I’m for the change. If that tower is going to change things for your emergency people, they need it,” she said.

The Liberty Board of Mayor and Aldermen will meet in their regular monthly meeting on November 4 to act on the request.