A 400-foot tower collapsed during a storm in Mullins on July 1st, causing some communication issues between police and 911 dispatchers.
Time Warner Cable owned the tower and it housed equipment that allowed officers in Nichols and Mullins to talk to dispatch and each other on their radios, according to Marion County Administrator Tim Harper.
The tower stood in a wooded field off of Milton Troy Avenue.
After the storm, the tower wasn't structurally sound, so the company tore it down.
The county put up a temporary 50-foot tower, but radio communications are still weak.
Many residents in Nichols and Mullins say they're concerned and want county officials to act fast to replace the tower.
It's a very important situation needs to be handled. Our communication between 911, cops and fire department and all that is very important," said Mullins resident Brandon Page.
"We need all the communication we can get with our police man's cause something happening all the time and if we they can't communicate with each other that's a bad problem,"added Louvenia Parker, also a Mullins resident.
A Nichols officer needed back up this week and had a hard time reaching anyone.
Harper says they understand the need to quickly fix the problem, but it's not an overnight fix. He adds they're working with Motorola on some short-term solutions, but a long-term one may cost the county some money.
Harper admits they eventually may have to build another tower and that could add up to $500,000.
The county plans to meet Friday to further discuss the matter.
