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Tarpon shifts July 4th fireworks funds to radio alert system

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BY MARK SCHANTZ

SUNCOAST NEWS STAFF

Published: May 17, 2008

TARPON SPRINGS - On Independence Day 2008 there likely will be neither rockets' red glare nor bombs bursting in air in the night sky above the city.

That is because the city has reallocated the $22,500 that had been reserved for the Fourth of July pyrotechnic display in its fiscal 2008 budget.

Instead, the money will fund replacement of equipment for the city's emergency-alert radio station as part of its hurricane preparedness plan.

About a dozen years ago Stauffer Management Co. provided the radio equipment for a low-power AM radio alert station. The station was created for the clean-up at the company's former phosphate ore processing plant.

The toxic waste site is in the northwestern corner of the city, overlooking the Anclote River.

The agreement under which the radio equipment for the emergency alert system was provided recently lapsed, says Fire Chief Steve Moreno.

The city, however, still holds a Federal Communications Commission broadcast license for the station. It had been beaming its signal on 1610 on the AM radio dial.

Before the equipment failed, in November of last year, it had a couple of hundred listeners tuning in for city announcements and information, Moreno says. With better equipment many more listeners would regularly tune in, he believes.

Plans are to relocate the station's antenna to a higher site. It will be placed atop the city's Public Safety Building, near the center of downtown.

The higher perch for the antenna and boosting the station's output from 8 watts to 10 watts should yield a clearer signal with longer range, according to Moreno.

Radio Tarpon will provide city news and information, along with an ability to broadcast live and taped programs and weather and traffic reports. National Weather Service Radio severe-storm alerts will also be available.

The station is a valuable asset, Moreno says. It can inform residents and motorists within a 3.5-mile radius of city news and information.

In addition, it could prove even more valuable in times of disaster, when wireless and land-line telephone, cable TV and Internet access might not be available to distribute emergency messages, Moreno says.

The station could be operational in about three months, according to Moreno.

As for fireworks this year, the idea has not totally fizzled out. The city is still interested in finding a business or group willing to fund the fireworks, Moreno says.

Acting City Manager Mark LeCouris says the fireworks display could still come off this year if a benefactor comes forward early enough. The city would need some time to find an interested vendor, he says.

Efforts to find a sponsor to defray cost of the fireworks, however, have proven unsuccessful so far, LeCouris said earlier this week.

Mark Schantz can be reached at 727-815-1075 or mschantz@suncoastnews.com.

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