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U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., presented a check Monday morning, Aug. 12, in Franklin for $400,000 in federal funds that will go toward a new radio system for police officers, sheriff’s deputies and fire and EMS personnel in the city of Franklin and Southampton County.

“We’re really excited just to be here to celebrate and kind of make it official,” Kiggans said Monday, shortly after arriving at the Franklin Emergency Services Building.

She noted that she would love to hear how the funds were going to impact the lives of area first responders on a day-to-day basis.

Franklin Chief of Emergency Services Vernie W. Francis III shared those details in a brief classroom presentation and then led Kiggans on a tour of the facility just prior to the check presentation.

Among the officials on hand were Southampton County Sheriff Josh A. Wyche Sr., Franklin Mayor Robert “Bobby” Cutchins, Franklin Ward 1 Councilman Mark R. Kitchen and Interim City Manager Darlene Burcham, as well as members of the Franklin Police Department and Franklin Fire and Rescue.

Shortly after the check presentation, Francis shared his reaction to the $400,000 that will aid in paying for the $9.8 million new radio system, the cost of which is being shared by the city and county.

“It’s a blessing — 100%, it’s a blessing,” he said. “We’re extremely excited. This is a big project for both localities, and to have her support and getting this $400,000 is tremendous. It takes the burden off the taxpayers to have to come up with that.”

Kiggans’ Communication Director Hannah Pope noted in an email that the congresswoman secured the $400,000 in federal funding for Franklin in the fiscal year 2024 Appropriations Bill.

Francis said former Franklin City Manager Amanda C. Jarratt submitted the grant application for Kiggans Community Project Funding that led to the receipt of the $400,000.

“This is a privilege to be able to work with the city and to represent you all in Washington,” Kiggans said during her visit Monday.

Francis also indicated that $1 million more in federal funding may be on the way.

HOW THE $400K WILL HELP

Asked how the $400,000 will aid the new radio system project, Francis said it “is going to help out with subscriber equipment. Subscriber equipment will be like radios for police officers, sheriff’s deputies, fire and EMS personnel.”

The standard for radio coverage that emergency agencies aim to meet is 95% coverage, with the 5% being areas first responders will likely never go. Francis indicated that local examples of that 5% could include large tracts of timber or the bottom of a ravine.

The new radio system will bring the radio coverage for Franklin and Southampton County’s emergency agencies to 95%.

Francis noted that he was not sure what the coverage percentage was for the current radio system being used by the city and the county, but he indicated that area agencies are doing the extra work necessary — cumbersome though it can be at times — to improvise and shore up the gaps.

During his presentation to Kiggans, Francis showed her maps of the city and county on which were circled areas representing gaps in the coverage of the current system.

“Where we showed that chart where all the circles were,” Francis said, “that’s where our staff, law enforcement, sheriff’s deputies and fire and EMS have said, ‘Hey,’ collectively, ‘these are the areas we’re having trouble at communicating, where we’ll call and it’s scratchy, we’re having a hard time understanding, or it doesn’t go through.’ We’ll have to go get on a mobile radio because the mobile, obviously, has more power, and then they still can be scratchy.”

As an example, Francis noted that the western part of Southampton County features rolling hills, and when first responders are in the low elevations between the hills, signals can shoot over top of them.

He explained that the current system is not falling short of the 95% coverage standard due to a system failure or a design failure. He said that city and county agencies lost coverage when they had to turn the current system’s power down due to regulatory requirements.

“It’s just as technology changed and things changed, it caused us to have to make adjustments to our older system,” he said, noting that this exposed gaps.

Francis stated that the conversation surrounding a new radio system has been going on for four years, and the hope is that the new system will be in place and operational by the April/May time frame of 2026.

Like Francis, Mayor Cutchins described the $400,000 as a blessing.

“It’s always good to receive funds to help make the city better, especially in this case because you are enhancing our communication services amongst different departments,” he said. “Communication is key in any business, and the city of Franklin is a business, and to keep everybody safe and give them the best you can is top priority. 

“Losing communication is not an option when you’re in a desperate situation,” he added. “So we thank Jen Kiggans for everything she’s doing and pushing for the city and everything the staff is doing.”

Pope also stated that Kiggans secured $1.25 million in federal funding for Isle of Wight County, which will go towards the construction of a new elevated water storage tank.