COLUMBIANA CORNER Cost considered, 911 center seems like best alternative

It has been suggested that Lisbon, Salem, East Palestine and East Liverpool, which already have 24-hour dispatchers, become answering points as part of a countywide 911 system now proposed.
But some organizers of the 911 effort have noted that a system with four answering points may be too expensive.
Some or all of those towns may have to give up that designation to keep the cost of the system down.
The county may have to rely instead on a 911 center that could field the majority of emergency calls.
A challenge: For the upcoming Blizzard Open golf outing Saturday, local Red Cross officers have issued a challenge of sorts to any group to beat their scores on the nine-hole par-3 course at Columbiana's Whispering Pines Golf Course.
The annual event is a major fund raiser for Red Cross disaster services in Columbiana and Mahoning counties.
Shawna Erb, board chairman of the North Columbiana County American Red Cross based in Salem, said Red Cross officers prove each year that anyone can participate.
"Our scores last year were a disaster in their own right," Erb quipped.
XCONTRIBUTORS: Norman Leigh and Nancy Tullis of the Vindicator