CITY OF FREEMAN IMPOSES WATERING RESTRICTIONS

JEREMY WALTNER – PUBLISHER

Meeting in regular session last Tuesday night, July 5, the city of Freeman issued watering restrictions effective immediately and until further notice. 

As was the case last year in response to dry conditions and the city’s water supply, there will be no watering allowed between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Outside of that time restriction, only residents and businesses with odd-numbered street addresses may water on odd-numbered days of the month, and only residents with even-numbered street addresses may water on even-numbered days of the month.

The city has also clarified its procedure for the warning sirens that have sounded — or not sounded — during recent severe weather. Specifically, concerns have been raised that the south siren (by the Freeman Public campus) has not been working.

A Facbook post by the city of Freeman last week states the following:

Moving forward, sirens in the city of Freeman will be sounded only for tornado warnings.

No “all clear” sirens are sounded.

The south siren has the capacity  to sound only when the signal is dispatched from Mitchell, not when triggered manually. Mitchell automatically generates the signal when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for the city of Freeman.

Mitchell dispatches test sirens to sound in Freeman at 10 a.m. on the first Friday of every month.

Siren decibel levels are set by the EPA; volume determinations are not made at the local level.

As has been the case the last few years, the siren will only be sounded for a fire or ambulance call when not enough first-responders are available.

For more on the July 5 council meeting, including the appointment of Elizabeth Waltner to the vacant Ward 3 seat, see the minutes published in this week’s issue. The appointment of Elizabeth, who moved into the community after marrying Drew Waltner, was unanimous.