First phase of courthouse wiring solution approved

It may be just one step in a longer process, but Putnam County will soon begin addressing wiring issues at the courthouse.

On Monday, the Putnam County Commissioners approved a $38,309 proposal by John Hendrich of HOP Telecom to improve the efficiency of the internet connection of several key court-related offices.

Addressed in the proposal will be the offices of Putnam Circuit Court, Putnam Superior Court, the Clerk’s Office, Prosecutor’s Office and probation departments.

As proposed by Hendrich in September, the work will involve installing master switches for each department that control the flow of information into and out the specific offices.

Having one way in and one way out will control the flow of information, including the possibility of controlling websites that the commissioners or department heads do not want employees to visit.

This should help alleviate what Hendrich called “a bunch of network loops that are now a spiderweb” and increase the efficiency of the internet connection.

This is key as the county, particularly Clerk Heather Gilbert’s office, moves toward e-filing standards set by the state.

As discussed at another recent meeting, the installation of master switches does not address the entire problem.

One thing it does not do is prevent outside contractors from coming in and installing new wiring that subverts the system, thus reinstating the spiderweb problem of which Hendrich spoke.

For this, the commissioners were again reminded that the county needs to have someone in charge of IT issues to set, monitor and enforce county IT standards.

Additionally, it does not address the physical spiderweb of old wiring and other utilities that criss-cross their way across four floors, dozens of offices, the attic and the basement of the 112-year-old building.

During the commissioners’ second meeting of September, Jared Hutcheson of 12Point Telecom addressed the physical side of the issue.

“We’ve got a network spiderweb that I think John is going to take care of,” Hutcheson said. “And then we’ve had a spiderweb of wires ever since the first telephone was installed in this courthouse. That wire is still here.”

Another step, Hutcheson noted, is to physically install new, uniform wiring as well as conduits that would carry the wiring throughout the building as well as keeping it separate from electrical wiring and other utilities.

In 2016, Hutcheson submitted a $180,000 proposal to do such work, which he said is not in opposition to the work Hendrich will do.

“I wouldn’t say our proposals are really at odds with each other,” Hutcheson said.

Hendrich agreed, saying that they address different things.

“Think of the wires as the streets but it’s cars that really get you around,” Hendrich said. “Jared would replace the roads but we would control the traffic flow.”

Hutcheson’s proposal has not been decided upon but it is part of a larger tech issue with which the commissioners must continue to grapple.

Unfortunately, neither proposal addresses the physical removal of all the old wiring, including that original antique of a phone wire.

For now, the first phase is slated, with Hendrich estimated a Nov. 1 start with completion in January.