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Owen County approves memorandum with DNR for three tornado sirens; state funding and maintenance outlined
Summary
The county approved a memorandum of agreement with the Indiana DNR and partner groups to add three tornado sirens connected to the county system; the equipment purchase will be sole‑sourced to maintain integration and the state partners will cover much of the maintenance and battery support.
Owen County approved a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and local siren committee to place three tornado sirens at sites intended to improve early‑warning coverage near county population centers and park/campground areas. The MOA outlines purchase, integration with the county’s existing alert backbone, and maintenance responsibilities.
Committee members and staff said the three sirens are to be purchased from a vendor already compatible with the county system so they can be added without complex interoperability work. Because the new sirens must integrate with the county’s warning backbone, the county intends to procure the equipment on a sole‑source basis from the vendor that supplies equipment compatible with the existing system. The siren committee and project proponents said the state and local partners found funding to buy the three units; county staff said the MOA will clarify that the state will maintain batteries and contribute to maintenance while the devices become part of the county system.
Bruce Hamlin and other citizens who have worked on siren coverage for years addressed the council. County staff reported they had secured a vendor price hold through Jan. 31 to avoid a December price increase and that sole‑source procurement paperwork would be prepared pending final signatures. Commissioners said the MOA was vetted by the siren committee and DNR and that it represented minimal immediate cost to the county while providing coverage improvements.
A motion to accept the MOA was made, seconded and carried. Meeting participants said final signatures will follow commissioner/council review and that a joint meeting would be used to finalize the document and secure required signatures within the vendor price‑hold window.
