Project Overview

The team at Wired partnered with Adams County Government to modernize the network infrastructure across several historically significant buildings, each with unique architectural challenges.

These buildings included the Service Complex (originally Decatur High School), Circuit Courthouse, Superior Courthouse, Golden Meadows elderly facility, and the modern Decatur Sheriff Department and Jail. Our team worked closely with Decatur IT personnel, department heads, and the public to ensure minimal disruption during installation while preserving the historic integrity of these buildings.

The Challenges

The diverse architecture of each building presented significant hurdles, such as thick concrete walls and limited access points. At the same time, it was crucial to preserve the historical value of these century-old structures.

1. Concrete Walls and Complex Pathways
   The Service Complex and Superior Courthouse featured concrete walls as thick as 3 feet, making it difficult to create pathways for the cabling infrastructure.

   • Service Complex: A team of three technicians spent three days exploring viable cable routes from the basement to the top floor, ensuring all cable runs remained under 295 feet.

   • Superior Courthouse: Routing cables between the telecommunication room on the north side and offices on the south side was particularly challenging due to the 20-foot-high ceilings. We solved this by routing cables through the basement and using a hollow column to reach the necessary ceiling height.

2. Courtroom Installations
   In the Circuit Courthouse, installing cables around the judge’s bench, defense, and prosecutor areas required navigating a cramped 2-foot crawl space. Cable support was installed carefully to ensure functionality while maintaining the courtroom's decorum.

3. Aesthetic Considerations
   Several buildings lacked ceiling space, requiring surface-mounted raceways. We carefully installed these in ways that did not detract from the historical appearance of the buildings, ensuring both county officials and the public were satisfied.

4. Brick and Plaster Walls
   The historical interiors included many brick and plaster walls, requiring thoughtful surface-mounted installations to blend with the buildings' historical interiors.

5. Coordination Across Multiple Departments
   Each building housed over 100 cables, and our team worked closely with Decatur IT, department heads, and court officials to minimize disruptions to operations. This included accounting for court sessions, public activities, and employee workflows in our scheduling.

6. Preserving Historic Value
   Preserving the historic value of these buildings was a top priority. We collaborated with groundskeepers to ensure all work respected the original architecture while delivering modern solutions.

7. Sheriff Department Security
   At the Sheriff Department and Jail, security was the top priority. We worked with the Sheriff, IT, and security teams to separate cabling for security and network systems. New telecommunications rooms were built with lockable cabinets, and cable trays were installed in ceiling spaces to support existing cables and separate radio control cables from network cables to avoid electromagnetic interference (EMI).

Our Solution

We used Panduit and General Cable with a Panduit warranty for all Adams County installations. Despite the numerous structural and operational challenges, our team executed a precise and historically sensitive network upgrade, ensuring compliance with modern technological needs without sacrificing the integrity of these significant buildings.

Client Results

• We successfully integrated modern network infrastructure across historically significant buildings.

• Cabling pathways were both functional and aesthetically aligned with the architectural style.

• We collaborated with multiple departments, ensuring minimal disruption to government services, court sessions, and public activities.

• The Sheriff Department received a secure and modern cabling solution that addressed both network and security requirements.

Conclusion

Wired Communications’ meticulous planning, historic preservation efforts, and expert coordination with Adams County Government personnel allowed for a successful network infrastructure upgrade across a variety of complex environments. The result is a robust, reliable, and future-proof system that respects the past while supporting modern technology.