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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20110929 public safety minutes 1 Public Safety Committee Meeting Call to Order The September 29, 2011, Public Safety Committee meeting convened at 8:05 a.m. by Chairman Councilman Harvey. Attendance Present: Committee Members: Councilman Mike Harvey, Councilman Bill Luebbert, Councilman Rich Koon, Fire Chief Bob Rennick, and Chief of Police Roger Schroeder. Guests: Councilwoman Carrie Carroll, Councilman Bryan Pope, Councilman Ralph Bray, Councilman Bob Scrivner, Interim City Administrator Nathan Nickolaus, Interim City Counselor Drew Hilpert, Police Captain Bob Cynova, Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Farr, Public Works Director Matt Morasch, and Firefighter Phil McKee. Approval of Minutes Minutes from the July 28, 2011, committee meeting were approved. All voted in favor. Discussion of Agenda Items OLD BUSINESS Update on the Fire Department Improvements Chief Rennick provided the committee with clarification of the status of the Fire Department’s improvements. Interim City Administrator Nickolaus has assigned the Public Works Department to follow-up on Peckham & Wright’s recommendations. Chief Rennick is concentrating on long- range funding and expects to present a plan to the committee in the next month or two. Public Works Director Morasch has reviewed the architectural study and believes Peckham & Wright are not needed for some of the recommended repairs. It is more cost effective for the City to perform the repairs on safety projects. He is currently working on putting exhaust systems in the bays (Phase 3), and will renegotiate the fee for Phase 4, which includes the new station. This will require new contracts with Peckham & Wright. A discussion was held on the availability of local v. out of town architects. RFP Update – Emergency Mass Notification System Chief Schroeder advised the two RFPs for upgrading/replacement of outdoor warning sirens, and the emergency mass notification system have been sent to the Finance Department for their review. In regard to the mass notification system, Councilman Bray and Dr. Rooney with 2 Lincoln University are exploring other funding possibilities. Chief Schroeder deferred to Councilman Bray and Captain Cynova for their explanation. Councilman Bray advised Dr. Rooney is attempting to find a grant to further explore mass communications systems for Jefferson City. Captain Cynova advised a meeting has been scheduled with all interested parties for October 7th at 11:00 a.m. at the Cole County Emergency Services Bldg. to discuss the phone notification system. Councilman Harvey recommended the City proceed with the repairs/replacement of the outdoor warning sirens and work on the mass notification technology as a larger group. Chief Schroeder stated one is not impacted by the other. In response to Councilman Pope’s request, a report on the mass notification technology will be presented at the next Public Safety Committee meeting. Emergency Management Coordinator Farr stated several systems have been reviewed and he believes the City is taking the right time to process the information to bring this system to the entire Cole County community. Interim City Administrator Nickolaus advised Joplin had the same outdoor warning sirens as Jefferson City and they were ineffective. The City needs to move forward to have new sirens by next Spring. After discussion, Councilman Harvey made a motion to direct Staff to proceed with the siren RFP, and to move expeditiously on the phone notification system. Councilman Koon seconded the motion. Motion approved. NEW BUSINESS Proposed Ordinance for Street Closures Interim City Administrator Hilpert advised this ordinance addresses street closures for a single person or business. The current ordinance gives only the Chief of Police the authority to close a street. This proposed ordinance would transfer the authority for construction and maintenance closures to be granted by Public Works, and all other closures to the Chief of Police. It also requires additional criteria for consideration in addressing a potential street closing. Impact of Highway 179 Closing In response to an inquiry by Councilman Luebbert, Chief Schroeder advised there has been an increase in traffic and occasional backups on other routes created by the Highway 179 detour, which was expected. This closing has created no particular hazard, and there has been no noticeable increase in accidents. Public Works Director Morasch stated area signal timing had been changed to accommodate the increased traffic on detour routes. Special Event(s) Update In response to an inquiry by Councilman Luebb ert, Chief Schroeder reported the special events in the newly-formed festival district were well attended with few problems. Councilman Scrivner suggested the City could develop a telephone app for special events. Captain Cynova advised the new emergency mass notification system proposed could be used by the City for notifications, such as special events. 3 Cole County Jail Opening In response to an inquiry by Councilman Luebbert, Chief Schroeder advised there were a few transitional kinks, but no serious operational problems associated with the opening of the new jail. PUBLIC COMMENT Representing the Local Fire Union 671, Firefighter Phil McKee stated it was the understanding of the firefighters that Peckham & Wright had the contract for Station 3 and that money was available for those renovations. Councilman Harvey stated that money had been earmarked for that project. Chief Schroeder commented that in regard to locating grant money to purchase an emergency mass notification system, federal grant money is diminishing. The police department recently had a grant rejected by SEMA, and for the second year, a COPS Hiring grant request from the Department of Justice for additional officers was rejected. OTHER BUSINESS None. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 8:57 a.m.