1. What is MERA and why do we need it? 

MERA, the Marin Emergency Radio Authority, is a countywide joint effort of 25 public agencies, who joined together to replace the aging and obsolete public safety communications system.  Locally, the Town of Tiburon, City of Belvedere, the Tiburon Fire Protection District and the Southern Marin Fire Protection District are among the members of the Authority.  In 1998, $27 million in bonds were issued to pay for the system.  The Town is currently paying off its share of the bonds. 

There are several highly visible examples of system failure.  During the Polly Klaas abduction, system failure resulted in the premature release of the criminal.  Also, in 1995, the communications system was completely overloaded during the Mt. Vision fire.  Finally, earlier this year, the system failed resulting in the shooting of a Sausalito Police Officer.  

The new system will be a state of the art digital emergency communications system, which will allow all of the fire, paramedic, police and public works employees within the County to communicate directly with each other.  Presently, that is not possible. 

The Tiburon site is a critical link in the system and required for the system to become operational. 

2. Why is a Marin Emergency Radio Authority facility being proposed in Tiburon?  Is it true that the Tiburon facility is the only residential one in the Marin Emergency Radio Authority system?

There are 17 sites in the Authority’s system, one of which is in Tiburon. 

In order to effectively cover South Marin County, the emergency communications system needs to be at a high enough elevation to provide the required coverage and positioned such that it clears some of the difficult terrain in South Marin.  Examples of difficult coverage spots in South Marin include portions of Belvedere and downtown Tiburon and Sausalito. 

The Mt. Tiburon site was selected with the Sugarloaf site as the “alternative” site.  An Environmental Impact Report was completed and certified by the Authority with these two locations chosen for South Marin.

The proposed Mt. Tiburon site is located in a residential neighborhood.  There are two other sites in the system that are located within residential neighborhoods, however the distance from the other sites to the nearest residence is far greater.  For example, the antenna facility is within 75 feet of the nearest home on Mt. Tiburon.  However, in San Rafael, at the Forbes Hill site, the distance to the nearest home is 300 feet; at the Dollar Hill site, the distance to the nearest home is 1200 feet. 

3. How long has this been going on?

During the planning stages of the creation of the Authority, Tiburon staff members participated in the design and funding of the new communications system.  The Town officially joined the Joint Powers Authority in 1998 and the issue of funding the project came to the Town Council in 1999.  Unfortunately, the siting of the antenna in Tiburon was never officially reviewed by the Town Council.  Nonetheless, the system design was approved, funded and authorized to proceed by the Authority in December 1998.

In Spring 2000, the Authority applied to the Town for a Conditional Use Permit to construct the antenna facility on the Mt. Tiburon site.  The Mt. Tiburon neighbors fought the application and the Planning Commission concurred and rejected the application.  The Authority appealed its decision to the Town Council in Summer 2000.  However, they withdrew their application and promised the Town Council that they would work with the Town to find a new site.  Over the last year, the Town has worked with representatives of the Authority and the Mt. Tiburon neighbors to identify alternate feasible sites. 

4. What does the proposed Marin Emergency Radio Authority facility look like at Mt. Tiburon?  Sugarloaf?

Either site would have the following facilities:

• 200 square foot equipment shed

• 45 kw backup generator

• 500 gallon propane fuel tank

The facility proposed for Mt. Tiburon would include

• Two 2’ x 2’  transmit antenna mounted atop a 60 foot monopole with one 12 foot whip antenna on top

• One 8’ diameter and one 4’ diameter microwave dish mounted atop a 20 foot pole. 

    5.    Can you explain the technology for this system?

Each site in the system provides coverage to that local area which allows communication with all of the other sites through a prime site located at the Marin Civic Center. The antennas and equipment located at each site provide a radio communication link between the system and its members as well as between each site and the central dispatch office.

The transmit antennas send the transmissions in a focused direction within a 130 degree opening generally focused over Richardson Bay.  The whip antennas receive the transmissions from mobile or portable radios.  The microwave provides a site-to-site link, or backbone, for the system.  The generator and fuel tank would provide emergency power during any power outage. 

    6.     What are RFs?  Who determines the safety standards for these?

Radio frequency (RF) energy is widely used for telecommunication purposes and is closely regulated by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). The FCC mandates that all communication facilities meet strict exposure guidelines that have been established by leading scientific and medical research associations.

The RF energy is measured based upon the type of transmitter, power of the transmission, the angle of the transmission, and distance to the site being measured.  RF energy drops exponentially as distance grows from the source. 

7.      What is the development status of the MERA system now? 

The Town Council approved an alternate site up at Sugarloaf during the summer.  The neighbors however, prevailed in a lawsuit preventing its installation there. 

In the mean time, MERA has pursued its original course up on Mt. Tiburon.  In September, the Town of Tiburon issued a Stop Work Order.  Later, the Mt. Tiburon neighbors sued MERA to prevent any continued work on the site.  MERA filed a cross complaint against the Town for preventing the installation at the Mt. Tiburon site.

The court hearing is scheduled before the Marin County Superior Court on Tuesday, January 28, 2003.