The Franklin County Commissioners have approved the purchase of six emergency warning sirens, five of which will be located throughout Pleasant Township with a sixth one to be placed in Madison Township.
“These will cover all of the populated areas,” said Pleasant Township Chairperson Keith Goldhardt at the Oct. 14 Pleasant Township trustee meeting. “There were a lot of dead spots where people couldn’t hear them, but you’ll probably be able to feel them when they do go off.”
The township currently has four emergency sirens and a tentative plan where they want the new sirens to be placed. Those locations are Kropp Road near Grove City Road; Opossum Run Road and Biggert Road; Riebel Road and Gardner Road; Timberlake; and Zuber Road.
“I wanted there to be one around Riebel Road…there is a lot of development going on in that area,” Goldhardt explained. “Lots of houses are being built there.”
Originally, the trustees had ordered two sirens for purchase in April through the Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Office at $18,000 per siren.
However, a month later the Franklin County Commissioners told the board they would purchase five sirens for the township and give them a three-year payback grace period.
The total cost of the six sirens (Madison Township included) will be $92,400.
Goldhardt said the warning sirens are slated to be installed in late December or early January.
“When these things go off, it will be like flipping a switch,” he said. “All of Pleasant Township will wake up.”
The sirens were purchased as part of the county administered Local Government Outdoor Warning Siren Assistance Program.
Other Pleasant Twp. news
• On Sept. 14, remnants from Hurricane Ike swept across the state, causing millions of dollars in damage which prompted Ohio Governor Ted Strickland to send a letter to President George W. Bush requesting federal aid to assist in the recovery and cleanup effort.
On Oct. 7, representatives with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) came to Ohio to discuss potential cost reimbursements for local government entities, townships included.
“Ours would be the lowest monies recouped,” said Pleasant Township Fire Chief Jay Noojin. “Most of the money would go toward the Road Department for their salaries and use of equipment.”
If FEMA decides the state to have been damaged enough by Hurricane Ike to be declared a disaster area, the township would receive approximately $10,000.
• Residents in Pleasant Township will soon see their trash bill going up. There will be an increase of 17 cents to the monthly bill from the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), which averages to $13.56 per month per household.
“This is just the regulatory cost of doing business,” said Trustee Dale Worthington. “There is nothing we can do about this, but it’s only 17 cents.”
