Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Sirens, Animal Control Issues Nearing End In Gurdon

An emergency warning siren system and animal control ordinance loom on the horizon for Gurdon residents.

The Gurdon City Council, at its regular monthly meeting Monday night, heard from representatives with a siren company and the first reading of an animal control ordinance.

Keith Gobel, with a Texarkana based siren company, spoke to the council about an emergency system for the city.

Gobel said there are two types of sirens, mechanical and electronic. Mechanical sirens, he told the council, must have AC current to operate and have more moving parts to break down. The electronic systems, the city's governing body was informed are similar to sirens used by police officials in their vehicles.

The sirens he recommended Gurdon purchase would be electronic with a battery backup, meaning the sirens could operate off alternating and direct current.

One of the first things lost in times of severe weather is the electricity. With a battery backup, these sirens can still be set off and the public warned of incoming bad weather.

The sirens for Gurdon would be mounted on 50-foot tall poles. Gobel said there were two ideal sites in the city, the primary and middle schools. Both sites have power available and are publicly owned.

He said with these two sirens in place, everyone in the city limits should be able to hear them once they have been set off, with the sound spreading further outside the city as well.

"We prefer there be some overlap in coverage," he said, adding it's better to have overlap than not enough coverage area.

In the last 12 months, the company has installed about 80 sirens, many in nearby communities, including Arkadelphia, Hope, Hempstead County and soon in Nevada County.

He said because Gurdon's police department doesn't have someone in the radio room 24 hours a day and seven days a week, officers on patrol would need 45 watt radios in order to set off the tones for the sirens in case of bad weather late at night.

Gobel said the company offers a standard two year warranty on parts and labor for the systems, and do periodic checks on them as well. He added the company will also train a local person on how to operate and maintain the system.

The cost of two sirens, labor, the required encoder and two mobile radio units would be about $26,000, or some $8,000 more than originally anticipated.

Gobel said this system is a directional rotating siren, oscillating 360 degrees, putting out 129 decibels, though they are rated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 70 db.

Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith said the sirens would primarily be used for tornado warning, but asked if they could be modified in the event of a hazardous chemical spill.

Gobel said there were a number of options the city could pick from on how this could be done. He said the system discussed was a two-tone format, one tone for warning and the other an all-clear signal, but a third tone could be added for about $300 more.

Or, he said, the city could have as many as six different tones available, but this may not be the most practical way to go as the public could get confused with so many different tones.

He also said a monitor could be put in the Gurdon High School office to let school officials know when the sirens had been set off. The sirens, Gobel said, could not be heard by those inside the GHS buildings.

He suggested the city have a policy and procedure plan in place before installing the system. This would establish a chain of command for who could set the sirens off in case of emergencies.

A special meeting of the council may be called to further discuss the siren situation, Smith said. The money to pay for them will come from capital improvement money initially, and be paid back from tax money received from the special sales tax passed in November.

Alderman Mickey Jones, who first broached the topic of animal control when she was first tabbed for the council, studied different ordinances from other cities and came up with one from Gurdon.

Smith said her original ordinance was modified somewhat, with some additions made for clarification.

Under the terms of the ordinance, once it is passed and becomes law, dogs will not be allowed to run at large within the city limits of Gurdon.

Owners face being charged with a misdemeanor and getting a fine of $100 to $500 for each separate offense.

It will be illegal for stray dogs to be dumped within the city limits, and all dogs must be vaccinated. The vaccination requirement is a state law, which also requires the rabies tag be on a collar worn by the animal.

On the first offense, an owner, if the animal is wearing a collar and has a tag, will be warned with the animal being returned.

On subsequent offenses, the animal will be taken to an animal control shelter for incarceration and the owner will be given a citation to appear in court. Additionally, the owner will be responsible for going to collect their animal and paying all charges incurred while it was at the pound.

Owners will have five days to get their animals, or the animals will then be sold, adopted out or otherwise disposed of or destroyed.

While the animal control officer will have the power to write tickets, they will also be responsible for keeping all equipment properly cleaned and maintained.

Animals impounded will be photographed with the pictures displayed in a public place, to be determined by the council.

The ordinance, Smith said, is common sense and logical. However, the ordinance was not passed at Monday's meeting so the public will have an opportunity to voice its collective opinion on the matter. The council will hear the second reading of the ordinance, and possibly the third reading as well, at the May meeting, scheduled for Monday, May 11.