Columbia's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) trailer
The EOC trailer, purchased for $40,200, has seen limited use since its acquisition in early 2023. Former Borough Manager Mark E. Stivers bypassed council to secure a grant toward the purchase, as documented by Columbia Spy HERE. Lancaster County Commissioners subsequently approved the grant of $28,140 in ARPA funds towards the project aimed at establishing a mobile Emergency Operations Center in Columbia.
In addition to the county's contribution, the borough's ARPA funds supplied $12,060 for the purchase, which includes the trailer and technical equipment. Ongoing costs for maintaining the EOC will fall on borough taxpayers. Currently, the trailer remains at the borough maintenance building along South Front Street.
TextMyGov
On a different note, TextMyGov was not used during the Tollbooth fire. Although it was discussed at Tuesday’s meeting, no explanation was given for why it wasn't employed for the emergency. Council President Zink noted on the night of the fire that nothing appeared on the service. "Shoot, we don't have anything on TextMyGov, and none of us have the ability to do that," she said. (It's unclear who has that ability.)
TextMyGov is an emergency alert system designed to inform the public about emergencies, road closures, etc. Council had voted in 2022 to implement the service, at a yearly cost of $5,500.
ARPA funding documentation for EOC trailer
No comments:
Post a Comment