Council considers siren proposal, street sweeper purchase

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GREENVILLE — During Greenville City Council’s Tuesday night meeting, council members agreed to consider a proposal to activate emergency warning sirens for other municipalities in the area.

Safety/Service Director Curt Garrison asked council if it would consider a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with those communities, yet unnamed, as Greenville will still maintain a VHF system, for which the sirens are currently configured.

Greenville’s emergency dispatch will monitor the National Weather Service, and activate the sirens in the event of a tornado or other disaster situation. Garrison said once the MOU is signed, the city will conduct testing to see if the city’s tower is powerful enough to transmit the activation signal where requested.

“The tower is only so tall, and can only transmit the signal so far,” he said.

Darke County’s switch to the MARCS (Multi-Agency Radio Communication System) affects how the county’s warning sirens are activated, and an estimated $14,000 cost per siren to transition is proving to be prohibitive for some smaller communities.

Council expressed a willingness to do so, as long as no fee was charged.

“It’s a way for us to be a good neighbor to our community,” said Councilman Jeff Whitaker.

Garrison also informed council the city’s emergency dispatch console and answering system have been installed, portable MARCS radios have been distributed, and mobile radios installed in all vehicles. The Greenville Police Department went live on the MARCS radio system February 26, and the Fire Department transitioned over March 6.

“We’ve had a few bugs that we needed to work out, a few things that needed to be tweaked,” he said. “But we are working through those issues, we are quite pleased with the MARCS radio. The ability that system gives us to communicate is far greater than the capabilities that we had through the old VHF systems”

Garrison solicited thoughts from council regarding the purchase of a new street sweeper for $165,000 and the possibility of selling the city’s current model, which was purchased in 2012. He said another municipality in the county had expressed an interest in buying the old sweeper from Greenville for $65,000, which would allow the city to purchase a new one for approximately $100,000. Council agreed to consider legislation for the sale of one and the purchase of another at a future meeting.

Council also heard a proposal to switch out fluorescent light fixtures at the city building for LED lighting. Garrison said the total cost, including parts and labor, would be $20,738.89. The city would recoup the expenditure through energy savings after two years’ time. Legislation will be presented at a later meeting.

Garrison told council limb and brush pickup will start Friday, April 6. Residents are being asked to call the Street Department at 937-548-2215 prior to April 6 to schedule a pickup day and time. Each property owner gets two free limb pickups per year.

Spring leaf pickup will be the week of April 2 to 6. Residents should have their leaves out on curbs by April 2.

In legislative matters, council passed an ordinance regarding permit fees and the bond for Vectren Energy for gas lateral replacement, which will affect approximately 301 properties in Greenville; an ordinance to complete patching concrete surfaces on various bridge structures in Greenville; and a resolution authorizing financial assistance to a variety of community based entities.

Greenville City Council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:30. Council’s next meeting is March 20. Meetings can be viewed on the City of Greenville, Ohio YouTube channel.

Erik Martin | The Daily Advocate Greenville City Council agreed to consider a proposal to activate emergency warning sirens for other municipalities in the area.
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_Muni-bldg-0005-PRINT-4.jpgErik Martin | The Daily Advocate Greenville City Council agreed to consider a proposal to activate emergency warning sirens for other municipalities in the area.

By Erik Martin

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The writer may be reached at 937-569-4314. Join the conversation and get updates on Facebook search Darke County Sports or Advocate 360. For more features online go to dailyadvocate.com

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