Paducah city commissioners approve $10 million 911 system upgrade

A long-discussed project that has been a dream of city and county government since 2016 will soon be a reality.

During a meeting held Tuesday at WKCTC, Paducah city commissioners approved a measure that the McCracken County Fiscal Court voted on Monday to upgrade the 911 system for Paducah and McCracken County.

The upgrade, which will cost the city just over $10 million, will be done by Communications International. About $8 million is for the "backbone" of towers and repeaters that would be shared by the city and county. The remaining $2 million is for radios and subscriber fees for the city. The county would also cover the cost of its own radios and subscriber fees.

Mayor Bray said that a method of funding the project still needed to be discussed by city and county.

Once installation of the new system begins, the five-tower system has preliminary plans for completion by March, 2025.


In other action, commissioners approved a contract modification of $166,000 for the Cherry Civic Center construction project, along with a 60-day extension for contractors to complete work including entry ramps, the parking lot and its lighting. Parks and Recreation Director Amie Clark said the work inside the civic center is nearly complete, and they hope to start moving equipment into the building by the end of the month.