Cape approves lightning systems for parks
The Cape Coral City Council recently approved to outfit 17 of its city parks with lightning detection systems by the end of the year at a cost of just over $118,500.
City Parks & Recreation Director Steve Pohlman requested the purchase of WeatherBug systems made by Earth Networks, which provides the same systems used at Lee County parks and the Lee County School District. A main selling point for the system is the compatibility with those operating in the county.
The system utilizes sensors in real time with both an air horn warning, when lightning is within 10 miles of the detector, and a clock counting the time until it is safe to resume activities. The software also allows smartphone access.
The WeatherBug system will cost the city $12,000 a year in maintenance costs after the first year of installation.
Parks scheduled to receive the lightning system include Cape Coral Sports Complex, Storms Football Complex, Caloosa Football Complex, youth baseball and recreational league ball parks, Coral Oaks Golf Course, Jaycee and Four Freedoms parks as well as Sun Splash Family Waterpark.
Last year, Fort Myers Beach officials looked into lightning detection systems and related costs after a lightning strike along the FMB beachfront left one person dead and two injured during a heavy afternoon rainstorm on July 22, 2014.
Healthy debate about the viability of lightning warning systems occurred for many weeks afterwards.
The Town Public Safety Committee looked into the cost of a lightning warning system to be placed along the beachfronts. At that time, it was stated the Beach would require three base systems and 12 remote horns (each heard up to 700 yards away) for a cost estimate of $99,000. After further analysis, full estimated cost for the WeatherBug system (install 17 outdoor alerting systems along seven miles, install one weather station system, email and text alert capabilities, 24/7 monitoring) was determined to be $124,011.93, but jumped to $431,675.55 -nearly 3.5 times the cost of the system and installation alone- once 17 required concrete poles, service meter and panel and related costs ($18,097.86 per pole) were factored in. Maintenance and out-of-town permitting costs (county, DOT) were deemed extra.
Issues surrounding lightning detection systems involved funding (beachfronts are Lee County property; TDC dollars wouldn’t fund it; property tax collections probably would), legal ramifications (if system is put in place and doesn’t work during a given storm and injury or fatality occurs due to a lightning strike, is a government agency liable?) and natural habitat (birds and sea turtles nest on area beaches and loud horns could disturb such delicate creatures).
Two other alternatives to a full island coverage scheme were presented. One involving a “limited island” approach (10 poles; not on northern island section) was estimated to be $323,090,38. The third option would cover Bay Oaks Recreational Campus, Beach Elementary and outlining area and cost roughly $10,943.12 was more accepted.
In December, the Fort Myers Beach Town Council decided not to implement a proposed lightning detection system at Bay Oaks and to continue to utilize the nearby community pool radar system, extend its usage to the playing fields, train more staff members in its application and persist in other alert measures when storms are nearby.
-Bob Petcher contributed to this report