Lee County Parks & Recreation to install lightning detectors
Lee County Commissioners on Tuesday approved funding to place an early lightning alert system at various youth athletic facilities and swimming pools that Lee County Parks & Recreation owns and manages.
The department now will purchase and install the lightning alert system at 17 sites with 19 total alert systems. Work is expected to begin next week. The $132,644 cost will be covered by the county’s Parks & Recreation Major Maintenance budget from the current fiscal year, 2012-13. Parks staff worked diligently with the Lee County School District to use existing infrastructure to offset costs to the county.
The installation complements Lee County Parks & Recreation’s goal to provide safe and quality facilities. “This installation will dramatically minimize potential dangers associated with summertime storms and lightning events for our residents and visitors alike,” said Dave Harner, Lee County Parks & Recreation director and assistant county manager, in a prepared statement.
The system called WeatherBug Total Lightning Network incorporates an integrated intra-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning-detection network. It helps characterize severe storm precursors – improving lead times and weather-management planning. It uses outdoor alerts for mass notification, mobile alerts for staff to use in the field, internal alerts for offices and facilities, and online alerts to show area weather for staff to stay informed.
Source: Lee County Parks & Recreation