Timberlane antenna should help police radio contact
PLAISTOW — Police have a new radio antenna at Timberlane Regional High School.
The antenna, which stands 30 feet high, was erected atop the boiler room at the school about three weeks ago, according to Jim Hughes, school facilities director.
Before the antenna arrived, dead spots made police radios useless inside Timberlane Regional Middle and High School buildings. In an emergency, officers needed to borrow walkie talkies from the principal's office to communicate.
Hughes did not have the final cost for the antenna, but said the job came in under the $9,000 limit the School Board had authorized.
Earlier this year, the Timberlane Regional School Board voted to install the antenna and pay the costs.
Plaistow Town Manager Sean Fitzgerald said the money came entirely from the school district.
There's no word yet whether the radio canopy is working well and has helped boost the range of radio communications.
Atkinson police Lt. William Baldwin, who is also a School Board member, said previously he supported the decision to install the antenna and thought it would boost radio signals for several area police departments.
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