Saturday, April 12, 2008

Friday Tornado Emphasizes Need To Expend Funds On New EOC

   Just one day after Lawrenceburg leaders opted to postpone approving funds needed to convert city hall into an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), a tornado struck, emphasizing the need for just such a facility.

   Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Baxter addressed the Lawrenceburg Board of Mayor and Commissioners during their bi-monthly business meeting Thursday, asking that they amend the 2007-2008 budget in order to allocate up to $25,000 for the installation of a generator that would provide power to the EOC in the event of a power outage during emergency status.

   Baxter explained that since the commission voted last year to sell the city’s former EOC to the Lawrence County 911 Board to expand operations for Lawrence Central Dispatch, city hall was designated as the EOC Command Center during times of emergency. Baxter indicated that the EOC was sold at a price of approximately $400,000  with the understanding that a portion of those funds would be used to establish the new EOC. “Right now we no longer have anywhere to coordinate services during times of disaster or emergency,” Baxter explained.

   Baxter told commissioners that the expenditure he had requested would cover the cost of installing at city hall the generator that had formerly serviced the EOC. The generator, he explained, did not suit the needs of Central Dispatch, therefore it was returned to the city. He pointed out that he has already had a concrete pad installed and moved the generator onto it. “We already have the generator,” he explained, saying that the remaining cost involves installation of a switch (which he stated was a major portion of the cost) as well as the cost of labor, construction of a small structure to house the generator, and installation of the needed exhaust system. Using the existing generator, Baxter said, will result in a tremendous savings to the city, providing the needed generator at approximately half the cost.

   Commissioners questioned whether the city truly had a need for an EOC, asking Baxter whether all small cities had such facilities. Baxter responded, “no,” but pointed out the value of having such a place once disaster does strike, as it has locally numerous times in the past.

   In the end commissioners voted unanimously to table the matter until their next meeting on April 24. They asked Baxter to provide them at that meeting a more detailed breakdown of the requested expenditures.

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