Iola will spend about $145,000 to replace its 35-year-old storm siren system.
Iola commissioners approved Tuesday an agreement with Blue Valley Public Safety of Grain Valley, Mo., to purchase five new storm sirens, including three with voice alert capabilities.
A representative from Blue Valley Public Safety was on hand to demonstrate the voice alert siren, which will be placed in the courthouse square, while others will be installed at Riverside Park and at Iola’s North Industrial Park.
“To be honest, this probably should have been done 10 years ago,” Iola Police Chief Jared Warner told commissioners, while rattling off a list of the issues faced by the current system.
Purchased in 1975 and installed in 1976, the current system utilizes seven sirens positioned strategically around town.
Four of the six sirens haven’t been produced since 1979, and the only way to replace a faulty part is to either find one stockpiled in the city warehouse or have city crews fabricate replacements. In addition, one siren does not want to turn off after it is activated, and none of the sirens will work if power to the system is cut, Warner said.
Most importantly, a signal to activate sirens must be narrow-band capable by the end of 2012. The current system cannot meet that requirement.
The new system, Warner said, would feature two-way communication, meaning information can be sent from the siren back to the controller, enabling the city to conduct silent testing of the system periodically. And with battery backups, the system would still function in case of power loss.
The voice-capable sirens can verbally warning residents of more specific dangers, such as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms or other public emergencies, Warner said.
Warner noted that one of the seven existing sirens was added in 1993, and would be kept as part of the new system.
Roughly $112,000 of the project would go toward equipment and labor, another $19,000 would go toward concrete poles capable of withstanding 100 mph winds and $13,000 would go to equipment and services required for activation and control from City Hall and the Allen County Critical Response Center. Some costs could be lowered by providing a city computer or poles, Warner said.
The equipment will be purchased with funds from the city’s capital improvement reserves, generated a portion of the city’s one-cent sales tax.
THE CITY will use $19,950 from the capital improvement fund to install a new roof on the Little Theater portion of the Recreation Community Building. The roof is prone to severe leaks during sustained rain storms, commissioners were told.
They approved a contract with Murphy Roofing Company, Stark, to install a polyurethane foam covering over the existing roof.
Commissioners met with City Attorney Chuck Apt in executive session to discuss a request by the county that the city use a portion of its sales tax levy to help provide startup capital in case a new hospital is built.
The topic will be the subject of an adjourned meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday at City Hall. The meeting is open to the public.
