The Bend-area 911 service district has hired a local government consultant with a background assisting struggling agencies to help chart a course through a messy tech transition that’s riled police officers for more than a year.

Rick Allen said he’s up for the challenge.

“That’s kind of what I do,” he said. “I come in and try to get people to come together and figure out a path forward and get everything operating in line with best practices.”

Allen, 61, has worked a varied career in public service since first elected to the Madras City Council in his 20s. He’s worked various stints as interim city manager in Sisters and La Pine, and been elected mayor of Madras and a Jefferson County commissioner. He’s also been a business owner and a volunteer firefighter for most of the past 40 years.

Allen most recently facilitated public meetings in Sutherlin in Douglas County, where voters five years ago opted to save money by switching to an all-volunteer fire service, but implementation has proven to be a major challenge.

Allen said his background makes him a good fit to size up the remaining issues facing Deschutes 911, which has struggled with a $5 million analog-to-digital radio system upgrade. The Deschutes County Commission agrees. One month ago, the commissioners reached out to Allen to work a temporary contract serving as a go-between for the board and users of the radio system.

“Rick provides a lot of great history,” said Commissioner Tony DeBone. “He’s known around the state as a strong advocate for small towns. It’s always a real positive environment working with him.”

Under Allen’s contract — which says he will receive $95 an hour, not to exceed a total of $30,000 — he’s tasked with interviewing stakeholders to determine their level of satisfaction with the Harris radio system, reviewing pertinent documents and keeping the commission apprised of what he learns.

The county is conducting a first round of interviews to fill a new position at Deschutes 911, a deputy director to oversee technology. Commissioner Phil Henderson said if that position were staffed, the county might not require Allen’s services.

“This position addresses a gap in administrative services,” Henderson said.

Allen’s contract won’t be the only independent examination of the Harris radio transition in Deschutes County. The county commission intends to contract for a consultant to conduct an “after-action report” to look deeper at the environment that led to the current problems and what can be learned from it, Henderson said.

Deschutes 911 is a service district made up of 14 fire and police agencies. Administrative services are handled by the county.

Around five years ago, former sheriff Larry Blanton commissioned a report to look at updating the district’s aging analog radio system. The so-called Sparling report estimated upgrading to a fully digital system would cost $13 million.

About this time the county was approached by the Oregon Department of Transportation about partnering on the Harris Corp. digital radio system ODOT was installing around the state — potentially saving the district millions, DeBone said.

But problems started popping up almost immediately after the system went live in July 2017.

Bend officers have reported hundreds of dropped and garbled calls, while the district’s smaller, rural agencies have experienced far fewer issues.

One reason was the wrong kind of signal panels were installed on the roof of St. Charles Bend, a problem remedied several weeks later.

But district officials now believe the problems in Bend have more to do with city’s rugged topography and more dense concrete and steel buildings.

“That system was designed for highway coverage,” DeBone said.

It’s also thought that poor coverage is related to a decision to build two fewer signal towers than what Harris originally recommended. That call has been attributed to former Deschutes 911 director Steve Reinke, who retired in March.

A temporary signal tower is currently operating on Overturf Butte in Bend. Coverage is expected to improve when that site is replaced with a permanent tower in the next few months.

“The permanent tower is taller than the temporary one,” Henderson said. “That should make a marginal difference.”

Allen said though he’s called a “fixer,” “street smart” might be a better term.

“After 40 years, I’ve learned a few things through my business, being a firefighter and working in government at all levels,” he said. “I have a well-rounded understanding of processes and personalities and how we can make things happen. People gotta pull together.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com