Americus will have a new outdoor warning siren following a special meeting of the Americus City Council Tuesday evening.
During the meeting council members had a total of six options to consider for replacing the previous siren, two refurbished sirens and four new sirens. Ultimately the council voted unanimously to approve a quote from Table Rock Alerting Systems LLC of Kimberly City, MO, not to exceed $20,000 for a brand new siren.
Americus Mayor Dustin Wright says while the new siren may be more costly, it is a necessary cost to ensure the safety of the community.
Wright tells KVOE News the new siren should be delivered and installed within the next four to six weeks. The city of Americus will handle the removal of the previous siren with Table Rock handling the installation of the new siren.
In the meantime, if a severe weather event were to occur as the siren is being replaced Lyon County Sheriff’s deputies Lyon County deputies will drive across town and use their cruiser sirens as outdoor warning devices. That being said, The Sheriff’s Office is still encouraging residents in and around Americus to pay attention to broadcast media and cell phone alerts, especially if they are indoors, while the siren is changed out.
Tuesday’s meeting comes after the city’s previous siren was reported as “inoperable” after it did not function properly during a routine test last week according to Americus City Administration. The siren was installed back in 1992 and administrators believe it had simply reached its end of life.
