Commission approves emergency sirens, extra patrol funding and Nespegenie ditch change order as IEC development advances

The Redevelopment Commission on Sept. 6 approved several safety and construction items for the Industrial Economic Complex (IEC), including the purchase and installation of three early‑warning sirens, an additional $80,000 for sheriff road patrols in the IEC and change order No. 4 for the Nespegenie Ditch reconstruction. Emergency management obtained a sole‑source quote from Federal Signal for three networked outdoor sirens to be sited between State Road 2 and U.S. 20 in the IEC. Staff asked for a $184,008.56 not‑to‑exceed authorization that includes a $5,000 contingency per siren and 10% for potential adverse soil conditions; commissioners approved the purchase unanimously. Commission staff said Amazon‑related construction and other heavy traffic have put greater strain on local roads and intersections than initially forecast. The commission approved up to $80,000 in additional funding for sheriff road patrols; the money supplements a one‑time $120,000 community enhancement payment from AWS that staff said had already been largely spent and was expected to cover enforcement to year end. The sheriff’s office representative, Major Steve Noonan, told the commission patrols are concentrated in morning and evening rush hours to address construction traffic, left‑turn conflicts and trucks using local roads as cut‑throughs. The commission also approved Resolution 2025‑12, a $94,514 change order for final excavation, material handling and related work tied to the Nespegenie Ditch reconstruction. Staff said the additional cost covers storage and drying of removed material, raising ditch banks at pond connections and other closeout activities; funding comes from a bond that will be paid by General Motors under earlier project agreements. Commission staff reported continued above‑ground progress at the GM site: seven new buildings in the AWS area, three water towers under construction with tank erection expected in December, and temporary power lines being installed to serve the GM property. Staff said an employee entrance drive that had been included as an alternate bid was instead built directly by GM, saving the commission about $1.5 million. No new ordinances or binding land‑use approvals were adopted for the IEC at this meeting; the actions were limited to contract approvals, purchase authorizations and budgeted change orders.