By Kevin Jefferies
Commerce – The Commerce City Council last night voted to enter into an agreement with A&M-Commerce to erect an emergency siren system for Commerce. Preliminary costs estimates have the system running around $100,000, with the city and the university splitting the cost. Exact costs, however, will not be known until final bids come in.
Council members Hector Arce and John Sands both expressed concern that this could be another project to go over-budget for the city, and voiced the stipulation that the city should not pay over $50,000 for the weather warning system. The resolution passed unanimously with that stipulation intact.
The system would erect four emergency warning sirens throughout Commerce. Controls would be placed at the University Police Department and at the Commerce P.D. The system would also have the ability to transmit warning signals to desktop radio receivers in areas not strongly covered by the sirens.
Commerce currently has no emergency weather warning sirens.