Douglas County is finally seeing the fruits of a 10-year effort to improve public safety in Douglas County. The rising of a unique radio communication tower took shape in the Highlands Ranch Central Park development, to improve public safety radio coverage locally by 325%.
The Central Park Tower is a 150- foot tall, three-point structure, painted ‘International Orange,’ to denote the focal point of the development. The design completely disguises an emergency-responder radio tower and provides an artistic and cost-effective alternative to the typical tower design.
The need for a new radio tower in the area was formally identified in 2012 after studies showed that the old infrastructure no longer met the basic needs of publics safety responders.
Overall, costs for the ten major system upgrades covered by the project were less than $14 million, of which $11 million was provided by the Justice Center Sales and Use tax. The Douglas County Emergency Telephone Service Authority also recognized the importance of this project and provided the final $3 million to ensure its success. Once complete, Douglas County will see the comprehensive safety benefits of the increased radio coverage necessary for all our public-safety agencies.