DECATUR — Work to install one of three donated tornado sirens near the Northside Elementary School is underway.
The siren has been mounted on the telephone pole and an electrician has done the necessary wiring, fire chief David Flynt said Monday. The next step will be to have Empire Electric set the pole in the ground and have the electrician hook-up electricity to the siren.
The new siren will have to be activated manually until the telephone company installs the necessary technology to have the siren activated by phone.
Flynt estimated that the siren would be ready to use manually in the next couple of weeks. He said itÃ-s his goal to put the other two donated sirens on Browning Road south of Decatur and on Tilly Hill Road east of Decatur two of the highest points in the area.
ÃItÃ-s hard to cover everyoneÃ-s area, but that would spread them out,î he said.
Flynt said his plans could change, depending on how loud the siren at Northside Elementary proves to be. Installing the siren at Northside Elementary will also give him a better idea of the costs associated with placing the other two sirens.
Flynt said the sirens were donated by the city of Pine Bluff, because it replaced all of itÃ-s tornado sirens. He explained that Paul Lemke of Springtown drove down to Pine Bluff and got three sirens for Decatur and three sirens for the city of Springtown.
The additions would give Decatur and the surrounding community six sirens, including the sirens on the water tower at the high school football field, the siren at city hall and at the Edmiston Ball Fields.
News, Pages 2 on 08/19/2009