10/14/13 2008 federal earmark to pay for emergency sirens
By Nick Sabo
October 8, 2013
413
SUMMARY: Earmarked pre-disaster mitigation funds were originally intended for fairgrounds
A federal earmark is finally being put to use to install warning sirens, five years after it was awarded.
The Holmes County Commissioners Monday Oct. 7 signed off on an agreement appropriating $174,833 in federal pre-disaster mitigation funds for installation of 9 emergency warning sirens. The earmark carries a local match of $58,500.
Gary Mellor, Holmes County Emergency Management Agency director, said the funds are from a competitive grant originally awarded to the county in 2008. The money was to go for removal of structures at the Holmes County Fairgrounds, Mellor said.
However, the building removal project ran into problems with federal requirements. The county then went to work on another project that would fit in requirements, Mellor said, and the siren project is the result, five years later.
The emergency sirens will be installed after a study that will identify areas of placement that maximize the range of the sirens, Holmes County Planning Commission director Arnold Oliver said. The sirens can be heard for a two-mile radius under optimum conditions.
The Village of Killbuck, Berlin Township and Village of Nashville will be receiving one new siren each. Clark Township, Lake Buckhorn, and Walnut Creek will receive two new sirens each.
The placement of each siren will be guided by placement giving the best coverage of an identified area, Oliver said. For example, of the two sirens at Lake Buckhorn, one will be placed to cover the Village of Clark and Black Diamond golf course. The other will cover Buckhorns 1,600 square acres.
Mellor said the emergency sirens target areas where many people are likely to be outdoors and away from a radio or other means of receiving warning.
Theyre someplace where they dont have a weather radio, theyre not in the house where they can hear that, Mellor said. The sirens are not geared to replace T.V. or radio, (which) are still going to be your best sources.
There is still a need in the county for more emergency sirens, Mellor said. Whispering Hills campground, for example, is currently too far away to hear the siren at Nashville. Having a warning siren serving the area could only be beneficial in times of a severe weather event, Mellor said, because people at the campgrounds will naturally be enjoying outdoor activities most of the time.
The sirens will be activated remotely by the sheriffs office. Some local fire departments will also be able to activate the sirens, Mellor said.
