South Jacksonville approves waiver of bidding for tornado sirens after Table Rock quote reviewed

Trustees on the Village of South Jacksonville Board unanimously approved a resolution to waive competitive bidding for construction and maintenance of a new tornado siren after reviewing a quote from Table Rock Alerting System.

At the meeting, Table Rock technician Alex Lansaw described the company’s Century 14B units as "omni directional," noting the sirens use lithium batteries with a 10‑year battery warranty and a seven‑year manufacturer warranty on the siren itself. Lansaw provided price estimates included in his packet: $32,593 for one siren and $65,186 for two, and later referenced a three‑siren option (including poles) that he said would cost about $93,000 and take three to four weeks to manufacture and 60–90 days to install. Trustees discussed differences between rotating and non‑rotating units; Lansaw said the non‑rotating option has fewer moving parts.

Police Chief Eric Hansell cautioned the board to ensure the new system matches the village radio system and said, referring to the procurement process, that "if the Board decides to go with a bid process he will wash his hands of it." A separate resolution to accept a quote from vendor GTSI for the tower at 1715 Belmont Street could not be voted because the packet did not include a dollar amount. Trustee Paula Belobrajdic‑Stewart moved to waive bidding and Trustee Tom Jordan seconded; the motion passed by unanimous roll call.

The board previously considered a motion to solicit bids for one or two sirens; Trustee Steve Retzer moved to seek bids but the motion failed for lack of a second. With the bidding waiver in place, trustees signaled an intent to proceed with procurement but the lack of a GTSI amount means a final vendor selection and contract award remain outstanding.

Next steps include obtaining complete price quotes for any chosen vendor, confirming radio compatibility, and scheduling any required drill tests if poles are replaced.