Lincoln County Sheriff’s office could get $2 million for radio upgrade

Oregon’s U.S. Senate
delegation announced last week that it secured $2 million for the Lincoln
County Sheriff’s Office as part of 2023 appropriations bill funding for 111
“community-initiated projects” in Oregon.

The bills, which
still must go through the appropriations process for resolution with U.S. House
proposals, would fund 14 projects in the coast region.

Sheriff Curtis
Landers said the $2 million would fund upgrades at Otter Crest and Highland
transmission stations, though it fell short of paying for the new building
needed at Otter Crest.

“We need to update
the microwave dishes from several years ago,” Landers said. “We’d replace the
generator at Highland, the generator at Otter Crest, because it’s outdated, a
lot of miscellaneous items that we had the opportunity to put into that
funding, and we’re very fortunate to get that.”

If the funding is
approved by the full Congress, Landers said it would likely be next summer, at
the earliest, that the office could begin the upgrades. He said it originally
submitted the request to Sen. Jeff Merkley’s office.

The joint press
release from Merkley and Sen. Ron Wyden announcing the appropriations package
touted their previous success obtaining funding for their home state.

“Because of Senator
Merkley’s position on the powerful Appropriations Committee and key role
pushing Oregon priorities in the drafting of the bills, and the collaborative
way that Senator Merkley and Wyden work together to advocate for projects from
Oregon, last year the two senators were able to secure more projects for their
home state than any other senators besides Senate Majority Leader Chuck
Schumer,” the press release reads.