EMERGENCY SERVICES Trumbull County awards outdoor sirens contract

The first four sirens will go on sides of Mosquito Lake.
WARREN -- Facing a federal grant expiration deadline, Trumbull County commissioners awarded a $296,000 contract for 20 outdoor warning sirens over the objection of a competing bidder.
Friday was the board's last meeting for 2004. With Homeland Security grant funds set to expire at month's end, there was some urgency to approving a contract and getting purchase orders made for the outdoor warning system, said Linda Beil, county emergency management director.
The vendor, Werden Electric Co. of Cincinnati, was deemed the best bidder by the county Emergency Management Agency executive board. "We rely on their opinion," said James Misocky, the assistant county prosecutor who advises commissioners.
Werden's contract is contingent upon the company posting a 100 percent performance bond, which was not part of the bid specifications. Failing that, the contract approval would be deferred to a competitor, Federal Signal Corp. of University Park, Ill., which bid $343,635.
Beil pointed out that there's a nearly $50,000 difference between the two companies' plans.
Compatibility issues
Federal Signal representatives tried to get Commissioners Joseph Angelo and James Tsagaris to hold off on their vote so that issues of system compatibility with existing sirens in communities across Trumbull County could be discussed. Commissioner Daniel Polivka was not present.
Federal Signal maintained that it made most of the sirens currently used in the county.
George Brown, Howland's fire chief and a technical adviser to the EMA board, also told commissioners there are no compatibility worries about activating both the old and new sirens.
The commissioners did not want to call a special meeting before year's end to further discuss the matter.
The total distribution of the 20 new sirens has not yet been decided, Brown said. But he did note the first four will go on the north and south sides of Mosquito Lake.
Other bidders were A.T.I. of East Boston, Mass., $273,700, the low bidder; and B & amp; J Electric, North Lima, $356,372.