MAHONING COUNTY Purchase of 5 sirens approved

The county now has 59 sirens. One official says 10 more are needed.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County residents, be warned.
That's what county commissioners and emergency response officials want, anyway.
On Thursday, commissioners approved the purchase of five emergency warning sirens to be placed at various points around the county, at a cost of $54,000. Once they're installed, that will bring the total number of sirens in the county to 59, said Walter Duzzny, Emergency Management Agency director.
Over the past four years, the county has bought 25 new warning sirens, including the ones approved Thursday. Duzzny said an additional 10 or so are needed to ensure complete coverage for all residents.
"These sirens are the most effective warning system for us," Duzzny said. "They warn the most people for the dollars spent."
Commissioners have bought around five new ones a year, using revenue from county sales taxes.
Many of the county's sirens were installed during World War II as part of the country's civil defense system, Duzzny said. Age took its toll on them, leaving many inoperable, so they are being replaced.
Residential growth
At the same time, more sirens are needed to cover the expanding residential growth in parts of the county that once were predominantly farmland.
Duzzny said one of the new sirens will replace a malfunctioning one near the former Tod School on the city's East Side. An aging siren atop the U-Haul building at Mahoning and Glenwood avenues will also be replaced.
"I think we need to get that one taken down before it falls down," Duzzny said.
One of the new ones will be posted in western Austintown Township, and another will be put in Beaver Township.
Duzzny said the fifth new siren will replace an old one, though officials have not yet decided which one.
bjackson@vindy.com