Thursday, December 16, 1999
Peace bell event worries officials
BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT — Campbell County is well prepared for any contingency related to Y2K, according to emergency management officials, but the New Year's Eve celebration connected to the World Peace Bell is a major concern.
County commissioners were briefed Wednesday by Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Director Ken Knipper, who said he and his staff had been working for months on issues of possible problems Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
He said the one real concern authorities and emergency personnel have is the Newport celebration, from 6 a.m. Dec. 31 through midnight when the new year is brought in with the ringing of the World Peace Bell followed by a fireworks display in the block bounded by Fifth Street, York Street, Fourth Street and Monmouth Street.
“That celebration will be a magnet for a lot of people and a lot of attention,” Mr. Knipper said. “We don't want to take any chances, so we will be fully prepared for anything that might happen, including terroristic activity. We've been in contact with local, state and federal officials regarding the celebration.”
He said authorities won't disclose all the precautions and security measures they will employ in Newport, “because if we do someone will almost certainly try to test them.”
“We've met with all the utilities ... in the county, and we've been assured ... that everything is covered,” Mr. Knipper said. “We've received responses from 29 agencies that have generators, and all fire departments have at least one generator.”
He said the agency had identified 6,100 available sleeping spaces and 20,000 sitting spaces in the county where people could go if necessary, all of which have adequate food and water capabilities. OEM's computers are all new and Y2K-compliant.
“There will be a full staffing of local and state emergency personnel in Boone County at the new Florence government center, and we'll be in contact with them on New Year's Eve,” Mr. Knipper said.
Commissioners on Wednesday approved motions to extend the contracts of county employees through June 30, 2000, and to grant a 4 percent raise.
“The raises will take effect if the various employees accept them,” Judge-executive Steve Pendery said. “We don't know what the reaction will be from the unions.”
Commissioners previously indicated there would be no raises because of a budget deficit, but Mr. Pendery said the budget included the 4 percent increase.
“We never intended to balance our budget on the backs of our employees,” he said. “We considered the increase when arriving at a final figure.”
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