~~February 3, 2014 7:00PM.
Special Board Meeting.
The Board of Aldermen held a special meeting on Monday night February 3, 2014 at 7:00 PM. Those present included Mayor Greg Richmond, Alderpersons Calvin Wilson, Alice Kezar, Keith Kohley and Bill Hess. Also present were City Supervisor David Brodie, Chief Curt Drake, Officer Bill Cagle, Emergency Management Director Denis Kolb, City Clerk Paula Brodie and Asst. City Clerk Karla McNorton. Guests included Mr. and Mrs. David Swift, Lois Kolb and Virgil Kaiser.
The Mayor called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. He noted that the meeting was called at a request by the Emergency Management Director Denis Kolb. He then turned the meeting over to Mr. Kolb.
Mr. Kolb introduced his team to the Board. He introduced Keith Kohley, the Assistant Emergency Management Director, the team’s minister David Swift, his wife June Swift, and the group’s counselor Lois Kolb. He then asked Mr. Swift to open the meeting in prayer.
Mr. Kolb stated that he had asked for the meeting because of his concerns about the city’s preparedness in case of an Electromagnetic Pulse. He explained what an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) was. He said there were things the Board could do to help the citizens become more prepared in case of an event. He asked if the City was prepared to provide water and sewer to the citizens in case the electric power is knocked out for a long period of time.
The Mayor thanked him for bringing their concerns to the Board, however he felt that the Board needed to concentrate their efforts on how they would maintain infrastructure to the City for a short term of time. David stated that the City did have a generator at the well and could maintain the water supply. He also stated that he had propane generators at the lift stations. There was a discussion on how to get diesel in case of a supply shortage. The Mayor stated that the City might want to look into purchasing a tank to hold diesel.
Denis stated that the City might want to look into a steam engine for long term problems. Greg stated that as a member of the Board he felt the Board should make sure that they can handle situations for short terms, but if it became a long term event they would have to look to State and Federal Agency’s for assistance.
Keith stated that he was truly concerned about the situation and agreed with Denis that the community should be advised of what an EMP is and how it could affect them. He said being part of the Emergency Management Team had made him more aware of their responsibilities to the community.
Denis touched lightly on the need to watch the New Madrid Fault. He stated that if there was an earth quake in the New Madrid fault area it would affect our area also.
The Board discussed the possibility of getting a radio frequency for the City to use during Emergencies. Denis stated that his group usually used their cell phones, to keep the amount of radio traffic to the minimum. David stated that the City had used Anderson’s water frequency in the past Ald. Wilson stated that it was hard to get the FCC to issue a radio frequency. He noted that McDonald County 911 has been working on getting an additional frequency and it was not easy to get.
The group discussed the Boards responsibilities in the case of a tornado. Keith stated that he would encourage the whole Board to take the NIMS preparedness classes. He told them they could take them on line and that it would help them know what their responsibilities would be in the case of a catastrophic event. It was noted that the Board would become part of the Emergency Management Team, as they were the ones in control of the city’s finances and would be responsible to sign and negotiate contracts.
Keith noted that a storm spotter’s class was going to be held on March 3rd at the Pineville Community Center. He stated that everyone should try to attend one of the storm spotter’s classes as they were very interesting and informative.
The Mayor stated that he intended on taking the courses, He apologized for not taking them already and he encouraged the Board to take them and become more active in preparing for future events.
Denis thanked everyone for coming.
The Mayor asked for a motion to adjourn. Ald. Kohley moved to adjourn. Ald. Wilson seconded. Ald. Kohley, Kezar, Wilson and Hess voted aye with 0 nays.