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BUTLER - Boro to hang up and try again with new phone system
(by Stephen Janoski - Staff Writer - July 23, 2008)
BUTLER - The erratic behavior of the borough’s phone system has the municipality moving toward a replacement without delay, Borough Administrator James Lampmann reported to the Borough Council recently.
The overhaul is expected to come soon because problems with the current system are getting out of hand, borough officials indicated. Council members worried that people cannot communicate with the borough because of the faulty lines, and internal communication is also becoming difficult.
“We’re noticing we’re having difficulty,” Lampmann said at the council’s meeting on Tuesday, July 15. “We’re losing voicemail boxes. Things will happen like the automated system will tell someone, ‘Press 2 to go to this department’ and then the line goes dead, or it goes into an endless ring. A lot of calls are just disappearing. And, of course, we don’t even notice this until someone calls us and tells us about the problem.
“The phone system has outlived its life. We’ve been trying to keep it limping along, but we can’t anymore,” he said.
Lampmann has been looking at new phone systems for about four months. The overhaul will affect lines going to the Police Department, the Department of Public Works, the Water Treatment section, and other internal borough agencies.
“Prepare for sticker shock here, but the cost is going to be about $70,000,” he said, adding that the borough will likely go through state contractors for the system.
Lampmann also said that though initially expensive, the change will save the borough about $700 to $1,000 a month in maintenance because all of the lines will be on the same new system, as opposed to the multiple systems they are on now. He said that in five years, the system would effectively be paid off with the money saved in repairs.
Mayor Joseph Heywang said the borough should go forward full speed with the project.
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