Cress Hill Tower Deterioration Draws $300,000 to $600,000 Estimates

Article Summary: The National Weather Service has declined to place a weather radio on Montgomery County’s Cress Hill tower because of the deteriorated condition of the 148-foot structure, the Finance & Budget Committee was told Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. Replacing it with a 300-foot tower carries early estimates of $300,000 to $600,000.

Cress Hill Communications Tower Key Points:

The National Weather Service declined to place a weather radio on the tower, citing the deteriorated condition of the 148-foot structure.

The tower is described in the record as essential for communications to 911, the Sheriff’s Office and the Highway Department, as well as the National Weather Service.

EMA/EPA/911 Director Dan Hough has secured cost estimates of $300,000 to $600,000 for a new 300-foot tower.

No motion was taken. The committee asked Hough to continue researching prices and funding options.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The National Weather Service has declined to place a weather radio on Montgomery County’s Cress Hill communications tower because of the deteriorated condition of the 148-foot structure, EMA/EPA/911 Director Dan Hough told the County Board’s Finance & Budget Committee on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026.

The tower is not a peripheral piece of county infrastructure. The record describes the structure as essential for communications to 911, the Sheriff’s Office and the Highway Department, as well as to the National Weather Service. NOAA Weather Radio is the national network that broadcasts weather service warnings directly to receivers in homes, schools and public buildings.

Hough reported that he has secured cost estimates ranging from $300,000 to $600,000 for a new 300-foot tower — roughly double the height of the existing structure. The committee requested that he continue to research prices and funding options.

No Action Taken

The item was listed on the agenda as “Cress Hill Communications Tower Update/Approval,” but the minutes record no motion and no vote. Nothing was authorized, no money was committed, and no purchase or construction has been approved. As a committee of the County Board, Finance & Budget can in any case only recommend; an expenditure of this size would require action by the full board.

A Thin Record on a Large Number

Beyond the figures Hough supplied, the Aug. 6 record is sparse. It does not say who prepared the estimates or how many were obtained, what accounts for the $300,000 spread between the low and high figures, what specifically has deteriorated about the existing structure, whether the tower remains safe to use in the meantime, or what would happen to 911, sheriff’s and highway communications if it failed. It also does not identify a funding source, though the committee’s request that Hough research funding options suggests none is settled.

The record likewise does not state when the National Weather Service made its determination or whether the agency communicated it in writing. Any correspondence from the weather service, along with the written estimates Hough has gathered, would be the documents that let readers judge how urgent the situation is.

The minutes list committee members Rob Corso, Chris Daniels, Dr. Patty Whitworth, Chad Ruppert and Committee Chair Connie Beck as present, and Evan Young and Doug Donaldson as absent. Hough was among the county officials recorded in attendance.