Sunday, April 18, 1999
Kenton eager for weather sirens
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT WRIGHT — By next storm season Kenton County may have a new severe weather warning system.
“It's pretty much at the forefront of people's minds after what happened over in Cincinnati,” said Kenton County Judge-Executive Richard Murgatroyd of the April 9 tornado. “This issue has been going on since 1994.
“The timing is good from the standpoint of bringing closure to the issue.”
Mr. Murgatroyd pitched a plan at a mayor's group meeting Saturday to install sirens across the county at the same time, and split the estimated $716,000 cost between the county and cities.
“The fiscal court will commit to 75 percent of the projected cost,” Mr. Murgatroyd said. “That will allow us to place 41 sirens throughout the county and give us coverage of 95 to 97 percent.”
Bary Lusby, county emergency management director, said the county only has three sirens that meet the standard of the sirens they want.
“We'd like to pay for all of it, but the county is not in that position,” Mr. Murgatroyd said.
The county already has budgeted in this fiscal year $100,000 for buying sirens and has a $140,000 grant that will go toward the purchase.
But Mr. Murgatroyd said county officials decided it would be better to do the project all at once.
“We'll find out where the cities are and if they can come up with that amount of money,” Mr. Murgatroyd said. “Then we need to see how much we can budget toward the program.”
If money is lacking, the county will take out a loan to pay the difference, he said.
There are some issues that still have to be ironed out, though, like who will maintain the sirens and where they will go, but there was a consensus at the mayor's meeting that it was time to move forward.
Fort Mitchell Mayor Tom Holocher said the safety of families is important.
“I think we need to step up to the plate and just do it,” he said.
Mr. Murgatroyd said he will bring the proposal before the fiscal court April 27.
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