Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Alerts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners urge coordinated funding plan for campground weather alert system after recent near-miss
Summary
Park representatives and commissioners discussed purchasing localized weather-alert sensors for Hazen and Beulah Bay campgrounds; staff were asked to pursue a cost-sharing plan with cities, park boards and state agencies and to seek Corps of Engineers approval if needed.
Park board members from Hazel Park and Buhler (Beulah/Hazen Bay) urged the Mercer County Board of Commissioners to help purchase a five-mile-radius weather-alert/perimeter system after an unanticipated storm recently struck local campgrounds.
Park representatives said National Weather Service radar did not detect the storm in time for on-site notification and that a local sensor and alert system could give camp hosts and visitors meaningful advance notice. Speakers described hundreds of campers who could be at the campgrounds at peak weekends and said cell reception is poor in the bowl-shaped topography at Hays/Hazen Bay.
Costs discussed: Park representatives and commissioners discussed several funding options. The vendor quoted a roughly $9,000 annual commitment to cover both Hazen and Beulah Bay (approximately $4,500 per bay). Park officials said more robust cellular repeaters would run substantially higher — figures in the discussion cited a roughly $200,000 cost to add West River repeaters to improve cell service. Commissioners suggested cost-sharing models (city/park board contributions, per-site campground fees of a few dollars per night, or county budgeted contributions) and asked parks to return with a structured plan and a proposed cost-share breakdown.
Board direction: Commissioners asked staff to coordinate a plan with the two park boards and the cities involved, to check for available state or DES funding and to confirm the Corps of Engineers approval process if the installations would be placed on Corps-managed lands. Commissioners said the county could consider budgeting or EM funding contributions but wanted a written plan showing partner contributions before committing county funds.
Why it matters: Commissioners noted the safety argument for earlier localized detection and the county’s limited ability to fund large infrastructure projects by itself. Park representatives emphasized that even a modest recurring annual fee could be spread across campsite users, while the county would benefit from staff estimates of roles and responsibilities for maintenance and alerts.
Next steps: Park boards will prepare a cost-share proposal and return to commissioners. County staff were asked to contact DES and the Corps of Engineers and to include the item in planning for the next fiscal year’s budget if necessary.
