WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — The Service, Safety and Recreation Committee meeting was held recently and the main topic of discussion was the outdoor warning system in the city.

During the last testing of the warning system, it was found that two specific sirens were not working and a few others had repair issues, according to Washington Fire Chief Tim Downing. City Manager Joe Denen said that since tornado season is imminent, the warning system needed immediate attention.

Downing has contacted Sentry Siren to replace the city-wide system at a cost of approximately $62,000 with a three-to-four week installation schedule. A main computer would be installed at the Washington Fire Station with a faster activation system than the sheriff’s office currently has in place for the county, Downing said. The system would be connected to the NOAA weather system. The system would have automatic activation capability in the case of a tornado, or local, single activation at the fire station when necessary, according to Downing.

Downing said that the siren system problems began when the sheriff’s office moved out to Robinson Road. With this new system, the city would have more control over warning city residents of impending weather events. Downing wants to add sirens at more locations within the city limits, such as the Crossroad Church area, to cover areas not currently getting full warning tones from a longer distance siren.

The new system would have a two-way talk-back function for the diagnosis of a problem, a low battery and testing need which saves maintenance. The new system would accommodate up to 200 sirens and be a one-time payment to purchase with a lifetime of support from the seller. Batteries last about seven years before replacement might be a needed, according to Downing. The committee and Denen asked Downing to go ahead with the project.

In other news, Downing said they are still accepting applications for firefighters until the end of April. He said that two applicants are graduating Friday from the Fire Academy.

Downing thanked the city service department for their assistance in relocating some of their outdoor training equipment to the impound lot on Elm Street in an area separated and provided by the city. The fire department will be offering captain and lieutenant rank testing soon due to the upcoming retirement of Butch Williamson in July, and preparing for Downing’s retirement in December of 2026.

In the police department report, Chief Jeff Funari said that printers have now been installed in police cruisers to work with their laptops while on a police call when needed for faster booking procedures. The department is now able to use email to judges for faster signatures for search warrants, also. Funari said, “our cruisers are like a self-contained office” for patrolmen that helps them spend more time patrolling the streets and responding to calls faster.

The department is now transitioning to the E-ticket system being set up at the Washington Municipal Court for faster processing instead of hand-written paper tickets in most instances, with the exception of juvenile cases. Funari said that there are currently two openings for police officers at the department and are seeking qualified candidates at this time.

In Service Department news, service director Gary Dean reported a grant was received in connection with ODOT for repairs to curbs, sidewalks and repaving areas of Lewis Street up to the curve at the ball diamond.

The possibility of a traffic-calming strategy for pedestrian crossings at the intersections of North Main and Temple and Fayette streets was discussed. Denen requested that similar intersections be looked at for ideas, and Funari was asked for at least three years of past accident history in those locations. Many citizen complaints have been received by the city regarding excessive speed on Temple Street since the stop signs were removed in past years.

Dean said that mowing in the city has begun and general city cleanup is in full swing. Dean and the committee members discussed the dangers of storm drains getting clogged with grass cuttings by residents who send their cuttings out into the streets. It is a safety hazard for motorcyclists, and causes clogs in storm drains that feed into the water treatment plant. It was suggested that the code enforcement officer monitor streets for residents who are responsible for this violation and citations be issued.

The committee also discussed furniture being left at the curb of residences for trash pickup causing rodent infestation. No upholstered furniture should be left at the curb for any reason. Trash must be taken to the city dump for disposal. Trash companies in this area do not pick up most furniture, such as couches and large chairs. The committee said that curb dumping makes the city look bad and invites rodents to take up inside and later could infest the residence. The committee requests residents to take their items to the dump or have them hauled away by various individual pickup services.