Politics & Government
Towns, Schools Team Up For Lightning Detection System
The municipal governments and schools of Westwood, Washington Township and Emerson will purchase a lightning detection system together.
A new lightning detection system wil warn those using local school and municipal fields when weather conditions are favorable for a nearby lightning strike.
The Strike Guard Lightning Warning System will be purchased jointly by Westwood, Washington Township, Emerson, Westwood Regional Schools and Emerson Schools. All of the bodies approved the purchase, with the last being the Westwood Regional Board of Education Thursday night.
"I think we've all come to a consensus that it's the right purchase to make for all the residents of the towns," Washington Township Council President Steve Cascio said.
The device can keep track of lightning between clouds and hitting the ground up to 20 miles away.
The system comes at a total cost of just under $100,000. Each town and school district will purchase their own alarms, but a central monitoring system at Westwood Regional Middle School will provide a cost savings to all the groups, according to Westwood Mayor John Birkner.
"All of our communities should be pursuing more of these opportunities," Birkner said of the joint purchase.
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