Radio tower to be repaired
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
A bullet hole discovered in an Underwood radio tower is set to be repaired in the near future, along with an antenna that was blown off during the winter.
McLean County Sheriff’s Department 911 Communications Director Richard Johnson told county commissioners Tuesday that a plan had been devised to fix a bullet hole in a nearby radio tower.
Johnson said the hole had been discovered during a routine inspection of the 300-foot tower in September, but it wasn’t clear how long it had been there. The bullet, which penetrated a support about 150 feet up, also struck the safety climb. Over the winter, an antenna on the tower was blown off, reducing some of the department’s communications.
“We don’t have access to some of our frequencies,” Johnson said.
Because the bullet hole caused concern about the structural integrity of the tower, a new antenna couldn’t be installed. Replacing the entire tower could cost tens of thousands of dollars, so Johnson sought out other options.
