July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Weather siren to be installed (05/16/06)
Jay County Commissioners
By By MARY ANN LEWIS-
Downtown Portland will soon have a tornado warning siren that may be heard up to a half mile.
Jay County Commissioners Milo Miller Jr., Gary Theurer, and Faron Parr on Monday made Ralph Frazee, director of emergency management in Jay County, purchasing agent for the device that will be installed on the roof of the courthouse.
The need for a siren in the downtown area was addressed by commissioners recently following the tornadoes that struck southern Indiana in December.
Shortly after the Portland Fire Department moved the fire station north of town a few years ago, the siren located on the old fire station on Commerce Street became inoperable.
A downtown siren has not been in place since that time, and that was the concern of commissioners.
They agreed Monday the $10,200 cost of the siren will be paid initially from the county’s infrastructure fund (the money generated through an agreement with Waste Management, which pays the county 10 percent of gross gate revenue collected on trash dumped in the Jay County Landfill) and the commissioner’s budget.
Frazee told commissioners he is hopeful the county will be reimbursed the cost from federal homeland security grant money.
He explained the non-rotating siren has the ability to be heard up to 2,400 feet in four directions and will be compatible with Portland’s warning system, therefore, warning residents at the same time the city’s system is activated.
The siren will be purchased from Federal Signal Corp., Indianapolis, and delivery is expected in eight to 10 weeks.
In other business Monday, commissioners heard Portland resident, Bryan Alexander, explain the Portland Quality of Life Initiative.
The goal of the initiative is to encourage people to move here, work here and raise their families here. This could be done by improving the look of storefronts in downtown Portland and encouraging growth west and north of the city.
Alexander expressed his concern to commissioners recently about their decision to demolish a building on West Walnut Street they recently purchased.
The site will be used for additional parking for courthouse employees. Alexander is concerned for the historic value of the structure.
When the demolition begins, he encouraged commissioners to preserve some of the ornamental stones used in the building’s construction.[[In-content Ad]]
Jay County Commissioners Milo Miller Jr., Gary Theurer, and Faron Parr on Monday made Ralph Frazee, director of emergency management in Jay County, purchasing agent for the device that will be installed on the roof of the courthouse.
The need for a siren in the downtown area was addressed by commissioners recently following the tornadoes that struck southern Indiana in December.
Shortly after the Portland Fire Department moved the fire station north of town a few years ago, the siren located on the old fire station on Commerce Street became inoperable.
A downtown siren has not been in place since that time, and that was the concern of commissioners.
They agreed Monday the $10,200 cost of the siren will be paid initially from the county’s infrastructure fund (the money generated through an agreement with Waste Management, which pays the county 10 percent of gross gate revenue collected on trash dumped in the Jay County Landfill) and the commissioner’s budget.
Frazee told commissioners he is hopeful the county will be reimbursed the cost from federal homeland security grant money.
He explained the non-rotating siren has the ability to be heard up to 2,400 feet in four directions and will be compatible with Portland’s warning system, therefore, warning residents at the same time the city’s system is activated.
The siren will be purchased from Federal Signal Corp., Indianapolis, and delivery is expected in eight to 10 weeks.
In other business Monday, commissioners heard Portland resident, Bryan Alexander, explain the Portland Quality of Life Initiative.
The goal of the initiative is to encourage people to move here, work here and raise their families here. This could be done by improving the look of storefronts in downtown Portland and encouraging growth west and north of the city.
Alexander expressed his concern to commissioners recently about their decision to demolish a building on West Walnut Street they recently purchased.
The site will be used for additional parking for courthouse employees. Alexander is concerned for the historic value of the structure.
When the demolition begins, he encouraged commissioners to preserve some of the ornamental stones used in the building’s construction.[[In-content Ad]]
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