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Repair crews got the equipment patched and operating again after a temporary loss of emergency and police radio communications.
The county’s servicing agency estimated repair costs to be $5,000 but recommended replacing damaged equipment at a cost of about $43,000.
Buffalo County Sheriff Mike Schmidtknecht said radio equipment on the tower was working, but questioned long-term reliability.
Using the analogy that the structure suffered a heart attack when lightning struck it, he said radio equipment at the tower site was at-risk of failing if not replaced.
The five-member committee unanimously favored replacing the equipment, pending resolution of an insurance claim for damages.
An insurance policy covering the north tower carries a $10,000 deductible, according to information furnished to the committee Monday night.
The radio tower is located on a topographical high point between the towns of Maxville and Modena.
The existing radio equipment was new in 2001, replaced after the county’s highway department accidentally knocked down the tower.
Radio equipment on the tower is used for emergency communications by the sheriff’s department, as well as firefighters and ambulance personnel.
Buffalo County has a second communication tower located in the southern part of the county atop the hills above Fountain City along Highway 95.
That tower had problems a few years ago when mice disrupted communications after chewing components in a base-control station.
