A process that began in 2012 ended Thursday with the installment of a new outdoor warning siren to serve the downtown Jefferson City area.
The Jefferson City Council approved an agreement with Cole County earlier this month for the purchase of the siren, which was installed behind the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce building on Commercial Way.
The county was awarded grant funding for the project in August and will share the cost of the siren with the city.
The city will pay $20,269, which is 57.5 percent of the total cost of $35,269. The county will cover the rest.
This siren takes the place of one that had been on top of the U.S. Post Office on High Street, Cole County Emergency Management Director Bill Farr said. Farr worked with the Jefferson City Police Department to determine a location that would be most beneficial.
"We'll do silent testing to make sure the siren is functioning since we haven't notified the public and we don't want to scare them," Farr said. "This is the 31st outdoor warning siren we've installed in the county and city since 2012."
In 2012, the Cole County Commission contracted with Meyer Electric for sirens to be placed in unincorporated areas of the county and in communities that signed agreements to help pay for sirens.
Communities such as St. Thomas, Russellville, Taos, St. Martins and Wardsville got sirens after agreeing to chip in funds.
Sirens were also placed in unincorporated areas such as along Country Club Drive, Scott Station Road and Zion Road in an effort to reach as many people as possible.
At the same time, the Jefferson City Council also approved replacing several sirens in town, one of those being on top of the post office.
At that time, city officials said the city's siren system was similar to what had existed in Joplin when a devastating tornado hit the area in May 2011, and that system was a failure.
The new sirens are digital, with no moving parts, making maintenance much easier. Digital models also send a clearer signal and cover a larger area.
"We looked at putting the siren we put at the chamber back on top of the post office, but the iron structure you have to build to hold it up was too expensive," Farr said.
Farr said this evens out the coverage area for this side of the city, as sirens were earlier put in at East Elementary School on East McCarty Street, as well as at Lincoln University. They cover a 2-mile radius.
The monthly siren test still takes place at 4 p.m. the first Thursday of the month.
At that time, instead of the old siren sounding, a voice will come over the speakers to announce it was a test, followed by Westminster Chimes and a voice saying the test has ended.
"We've got it set up now so that the only time the siren sound will go off is when there is a tornado threat," Farr said. "At least once a year, we will have to have the siren sound go off, definitely during the statewide tornado drill."
Farr noted where this siren was placed is not far from the path the May 22 tornado took as it went toward the Missouri River.
"This site was chosen before the tornado hit, but the sound of the other sirens was so loud and carried so far that many of the people in this area reported hearing sirens that night," he said. "I'm glad to get this siren in, though, because this will cover all downtown."