Mayor: town upgrading lightning detectors; council asks about phone alerts for recreation staff

In his report read at the July 14 council meeting, the mayor said the township's lightning detection systems are near end of life and that the vendor has offered an upgrade at the state contract rate with labor at no additional cost. "Given the critical role these systems play in ensuring the critical role these systems play in ensuring the safety of individuals using our parts and fields, I decided to proceed with the upgrade at this time," the mayor said through the administrator's report. The upgrade was described as expected to take approximately one month with no anticipated disruption to service. Council members asked whether the vendor can supply phone- or app-based push alerts for coaches and recreation staff, describing a neighboring town's app that pushes a 30-minute countdown after lightning is detected and automatically resets when lightning recurs. A council member said such an app "makes everybody's life a lot easier" and asked administration to check on adding that capability. No additional appropriation was discussed at the meeting; staff were asked to follow up with the vendor about app-based phone/text alerts and any additional cost implications and to report back.

Why it matters: Lightning-detection systems affect field-activity safety for children and recreation programs; app-based alerts could give staff and volunteers immediate notification to clear fields and shelters.