U.S. General Services Administration
Gardiner, Maine Officials Welcome New Communications Tower
On a bright blue, sunny day, public safety personnel, and state, local, and federal officials gathered underneath a 260-foot communications tower in Gardiner, Maine to cut a ribbon and commemorate the city’s newest addition to its safety network.
Al Nelson, Chief of the Gardiner Fire Department, kicked off the ribbon cutting with a brief welcome and summary of the project before additional speakers, including Gardiner Mayor Patricia Hart, Mark Winters, a representative from Senator Susan Collins’ office, Scott Wilkinson, a representative from Senator Angus King’s office, U.S. General Services Administration Former Region One Regional Administrator Christopher Averill, and Gardiner City Manager Christine Landes took the podium.
The former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) communications tower, located at 78 Libby Hill Road, greatly benefits the city and its surrounding residents by improving communications for fire, police, public works, and school bus transportation.
“This tower represents not only increased public safety, but also showcases how federal and local governments can work together, creating positive outcomes and economic value for local communities,” said former Regional Administrator Averill. “As you may know, GSA is responsible for promoting effective and efficient use of federal real property assets, as well as the disposal of real property that is no longer mission-critical to federal agencies.”
GSA visited the tower, which was deemed surplus by the FAA, for a site inspection in April 2017.
During this time, city officials expressed interest in acquiring the site for emergency management response use through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Benefit Conveyance program. The deed transfer was completed in February of 2018.
While the old tower was 100 feet tall, this larger tower will assist in filling dead spots and improving safety for firefighters, paramedics, and police officers by eliminating those areas where communications were difficult or nonexistent.
“Prior to obtaining this tower, communications were difficult or non-existent in the areas around the Kennebec River and in other valleys in our response areas,” said Nelson. “We have tested these dead spots and are excited that we now have great radio signal in areas where we could not communicate before.”
The city’s emergency reuse plan encompasses a service area of approximately 173 square miles serving a population of nearly 24,000.
“We are always pleased when under-utilized federal property ends up serving the public good in any capacity, and especially happy when it can help bolster public safety and emergency response efforts,” added former Regional Administrator Averill.