Milwaukee Company Offers to Pay for Saukville's Warning System Upgrades

Saukville officials on Tuesday night were seemingly ready to shut down the village's storm warning siren's to avoid the cost of federally mandated upgrades.

But concerned residents made it clear they were not ready to put a price on life, and it began to look as though a storm was brewing.

Then a civic miracle occurred: A representative of a Milwaukee company told the Public Safety Committee and the people of Saukville it would do the work for free.

Ernest Companion, regional sales manager for American Signal Corp., 8600 W. Bradley Rd., Milwaukee, said his company would visit the village to inspect the current status of the sirens and make the necessary upgrades at no cost — and with absolutely no strings attached.

The federal government mandated an upgrade to a narrow-banded frequency range for all warning systems in the country, Emergency Management Director Jack Morrison said.

Morrison said there were five siren sights to be updated, and the total cost would be about $5,000 for the kits and installation, depending on the age of the system's electronic curcuit boards.

If any of the boards cannot be upgraded and must be replaced, the cost would be about $1,500 per board, Morrison said.

The system averages only about $400 each year in electrical costs when only sounded for testing purposes, Morrison said. Repairs in the last three years have cost the village $2,500 beyond insurance coverage.

American Signal Corp.’s owner "is very passionate about this,” Companion said, explaining that several people from the company live in Ozaukee County and feel the siren’s are necessary for the safety of its residents.

Only one resident commented in support of taking away the siren system through an e-mail sent to Village President Barb Dickmann.

Catherine Necci could not be at the public hearing because of a work meeting, but her e-mail urged the village to discontinue the use of the system.

With all the technology that residents can use to get their weather warnings, Necci wrote, she did not see the continued use of the sirens as a necessary cost.

But a second e-mail opinion from Laurie Birno echoed many resident’s feelings.

“It seems like the village keeps taking things away or is charging for them. I don’t know how you can put a price on someone’s life,” Birno said.

Others at the meeting agreed.

“I’m not sure that our residents today … are ready to make the sudden change to (the removal of the system),” said John Ross of Saukville. “I think $5,000 is a small amount when you’re talking about human life.”

Saukville Village officials were outwardly excited about the offer from American Signal Corporation, almost in disbelief.

As Dickmann moved to the front of the room to get ready for the Village Board’s meeting after the public hearing, she reflected on what had just happened.

“So, now, if I sit in this chair is someone going to give me money?” she laughed. “What a deal!”

Village officials plan to meet with Companion and go from there.