Dacula Tornado Siren Repairs Complete

After weeks of waiting, repairs to the City of Dacula’s tornado siren are now complete.

City Administrator Jim Osborn said the repairs were made on Wednesday, Aug. 23. The siren was tested at approximately 5:30 p.m. and is in good working order.

The . However, Whelan Company, the maker of the siren and the company contracted to do the repairs, was delayed in getting to the project due to work in tornado-ravaged parts of Alabama and northwest Georgia.

A $4,140 project to seal coat the parking lot of Dacula City Hall was also completed last week.

While those projects are now finished, the city has several other repair projects pending.

Next Thursday, Sept. 1, the council will decide whether to award a $26,500 contract to OHMSHIV Construction for repairs of the Spring Street Culvert pipe. According to , project bids ranged from $26,500 to $88,500.

The culvert is currently serviced by a 32-inch pipe that is failing. Should the pipe fail, it would pose a threat to the road and the lake. The city engineer has recommended increasing the pipe to 42 inches.

In order to complete the work, a 12-foot open cut will be made on Spring Street to remove the old pipe and install the new, larger pipe. Only one lane of Spring Street will be closed at a time. The city has obtained three temporary construction easements necessary to complete the work should council authorize the project.

Council will also consider adopting a five-year transportation plan to outline in what order repairs to the 84 city maintained streets will be made. Each of the streets has been graded on a scale of A to F based on the length of the road and severity of damage. The grades will be used to prioritize the repairs. All repairs will be funded using proceeds from the city’s special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST). Based on current estimates, the city has approximately $1.632 million in 2005 SPLOST proceeds and has allocated $2.184 million in 2009 SPLOST proceeds.

The goal of the five-year transportation plan is to address the worst streets first and then proceed to the streets that are in less dire need of repairs.

“The bottom line is you do it until you run out of money,” Wilbanks said.

In other business, council accepted a proposal by Mill Creek student Charles OrgBon to hold a "Day of Remembrance" ceremony on Sept. 11. The day's activities will include litter pickup in the downtown area, a tree planting, a performance by the Mill Creek High School band and a ceremony featuring local dignitaries as well as public safety professionals and members of the armed forces. The litter pickup is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. with the remembrance ceremony to follow at 4 p.m.

The next council meeting is scheduled for Sept. 1 at , 442 Harbins Road. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.