Tornado Siren Vandalism at Winnona Park Elementary
Decatur Metro | February 4, 2010From the City Schools of Decatur…
On Wednesday evening (2/3) Winnona Park Elementary was vandalized by someone who is unhappy about the tornado sirens that have been placed on our schools by the City of Decatur. They spray-painted a very large message on the blacktop of the lower parking lot as well as on the pole that the siren is attached to. If you have any information about this incident or know who is responsible for the vandalism, please contact the Decatur Police Department at 404-377-7911 or call Winnona Park Principal Greg Wiseman at 404-370-4490.
If you or others are upset about the tornado sirens being placed on the schools, please contact the Decatur City Commission or Ms. Peggy Merriss. Naturally, there are better ways to express one’s displeasure than defacing school property. Thank you for helping us keep our schools safe and clean for our students.
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Wow. Maybe it was one of the neighbors who complained about it. Allison?
Sounds like SOMEBODY’S nap got interrupted.
This vandalism is clearly the work of someone worked up over annexation.
Anyone know what it says/said? I want all the juicy details.
I’d also like to know the details. In short, this is putrid behavior.
‘Hey City of Decatur, we need better alarms to protect our citizens but did you have to put it in my backyard?’
Should we have had a public forum to discuss the location? NO! Not in my opinion. I feel confident enough in my elected officials. They didn’t just throw darts at a map of the city. The locations of the sirens were chosen because they were the most ideal.
I’m trying to figure out who would do this. I mean, it’s an elementary school for crissakes. (Hey kids, if you disagree with something, deface public property.) If it’s a parent, tsk tsk, take your attitude and move far, far away. Winnona goes up to 3rd grade, so I can’t image a child that young would do this. So was it a teen trying to stir the pot? Seriously, I just can’t for the life of me figure out who would do this. Can someone clue me in as to what type of person would do this.
Meth heads.
Zombies!
On a borrowed line of reasoning, I think the city defaced their own sirens so citizens would feel sorry them.
Perhaps a certain blogger did it to drum up traffic to his blog.
Like He doesn’t get enough traffic?
Just getting into the spirit of thinly veiled accusations, a favorite pastime.
I know, borrowed arguments are some much fun–like riding a moped.
“Should we have had a public forum to discuss the location? NO! Not in my opinion. I feel confident enough in my elected officials. They didn’t just throw darts at a map of the city. The locations of the sirens were chosen because they were the most ideal.”
I agree with writerchad 100% about this. Having been out of Decatur during any earlier testing, yesterday’s test was the first time–ever–that I heard a weather warning siren from my Decatur home. I’m grateful for the new system.
I don’t imagine our elected officials had anything to do with the decision other than (as always) rubber-stamping what is presented by the unelected City staff. It is clear that no sound studies were done, as there are areas where the sirens are unreasonably loud and others like mine (in the heart of downtown) where they are barely audible. They went with the cheap and dirty solution to erect these on property the City owns, which I daresay is just about the same as throwing darts at a map. The unlucky people near the sites suffer greatly because the sirens must be used at ear-damaging volumes to attempt to compensate for the improper distribution in other areas.
I do believe an actual tornado would be more ear-damaging than a loud siren. In any case, stocking up on Krylon is never the answer to a disagreement. And I know that’s not what you’re endorsing. If we’re going to start tagging things we don’t like, the City of Decatur will look like a 1970’s NYC subway car.
Interesting point, Chad. If there were strong winds, I might not be able to hear the siren at all. I definitely wouldn’t hear it if I had music or TV on. I agree that defacing property isn’t the answer, but extreme noise can make people at least temporarily insane. Since the nearby property owners weren’t consulted AT ALL (not even a “hey, not that you have a choice or that we really care, but we’re letting you know we’re about to put something in front of your home that will be ugly and will also damage your hearing”), I can certainly understand the anger and frustration.
It’s just peculiar that in a small town with heavy citizen involvement, we seem to have an incredibly difficult time engaging eager folks in processes that will directly affect them. If the City would give proper notice about potentially major decisions and allow input before the wheels start fully turning, it would be a different story entirely. Look at two frustrating recent items: sirens and brick crosswalks. We’ve gone years without either, so one could argue there was no urgency to rush through the process. The City seems to operate in two modes: stop and go. Most decisions are in the sluggish former category (“can’t,” “needs a study,” etc.), and then it’s full speed ahead, damn-the-residents when they finally decide to do something. So we end up with inappropriately-sited sirens, crosswalks that are potentially more dangerous for pedestrians than the old ones (that are erected in the middle of the night without, of course, warning nearby residents of the jackhammer), and so forth. We have some really smart cookies living here. Can’t we work with the citizenry rather than against?
Decatur is a fairly small city, those sirens would be near someone’s house–if they were to be heard at all.
Yeah I’m with the Gibbs. I’m pretty sure the NIMBY impulse would be out in full-force if the city actually came out and asked “Who wants a siren near their house?!” For all my attempts at level-headedness, I’d probably go a little NIMBY if they wanted to put a siren in my backyard.
Working with the city’s citizenry assumes that you would be able to compromise on where to put the sirens. I’m pretty sure that would not be possible.
The City–government and management–are actually supposed to work FOR the citizenry, not with us or against us. Working in our collective best interest inevitably requires, sometimes, trade-offs when it comes to individual interests. It also often requires “asking forgiveness instead of permission,” especially in a community like Decatur, the most tempestuous little teapot I can think of.
Ditto for CSD (which may be improving in the communication dept. thanks to the last election). Just a little extra effort would prevent tons of ill will.
Carl said: “If the City would give proper notice about potentially major decisions and allow input before the wheels start fully turning, it would be a different story entirely…”
But it’s even more frustrating when the city allows input, committees form, citizens work hours on it to make decisions, and then at the last minute an employee makes a random decision and that’s that. Ever ask a committee member why the pool at McKoy is as big as a thimble?
renfroe momma said: “But it’s even more frustrating when the city allows input, committees form, citizens work hours on it to make decisions, and then at the last minute an employee makes a random decision and that’s that.”
Wow, that sounds like the City Schools of Decatur!
Spot on, chadly. Well said.
Presumably, it was done by someone in whom’s backyard this siren is placed.
Gibbets!
It’s probably the same people who put the “no parking” signs on the streets in front of their houses. Like we all don’t pay the taxes to have those roads fixed.
Forget homemade ‘no parking’ signs, bicycles permanently chained at your curb are apparently allowed under City regs, and seem to be an effective block to otherwise legally permitted parking for cars.
Was this the reason the siren was going off yesterday?
The regular monthly test on the first Wednesday at 5PM, as previously announced.
Yesterday was a Wednesday? It’s the beginning of the month? Why didn’t they send out an announcement about that?
Paula, I assume you are serious, so with all due respect, multiple announcements have been made here, on other blogs, including the City’s, on neighborhood listservs and the Decatur Focus. If you didn’t know, you haven’t been paying attention.
I guess Steve didn’t see the winking Smiley.
You’re right, I missed it. I was focusing on the original post without the smiley. Apologies.
This truly angers me. Vandalism is such a wasteful crime.
Did the vandals really think that this would make someone move the siren?
Did the vandals really consider that they were defacing school property? Think of the message that this teaches the 5 to 9 year olds at WPES.
Sure, the vandals are mad but WHY make something even uglier? Now everyone has to see the spray paint too.
And I not see the big deal about the sirens. Its not like they go off everyday. They are only supposed to go off when there is a tornado warning and ONCE a month for testing. And wouldnt you want to know if a tornado is close? Tornados occur here- the one in downtown Atlanta was very close to Decatur! I live across the street from ASC, and I have slept thru the sirens that go off there.
I seem to recall something from the city indicating that the sirens are not meant to be heard indoors per se; rather, they are intended to warn folks who are out and about to get inside and take cover, and as an added bonus, depending on your perspective, you may hear the warning inside as well. On one occasion during a particularly bad storm we heard the ASC siren from inside our house– am I right that it includes a man’s voice telling listeners to take cover? It was a nice little bit of entertainment as I pondered how to get my whole family and 2 dogs in the bathtub.
Yeah, the ASC sirens also have voices.
Not anymore! They sold the siren to the city of Decatur. There are no longer any voices.
Yes! Finally I can stop taking my medication.
I was thinking your doubled up. Or maybe you should. I see you are an expert on all the blogs. Must be nice.
No personal attacks Mike. Moderation.
Not fair. Gibbets is a witty, intelligent and knowledgeable contributor to this blog. I have never seen him assume he knows everything. I think an apology from you is in order.
Now I know personal attacks. They are some of my favorite things. But that sir was no personal attack.
I had not heard that. What is the source of your information?
You know, I bet the school system has security cameras around the perimeter of the school, and they may have a picture of this mature behavior.
Iron Sky to the rescue!
When you get a chance check out where they located the siren at Glennwood Academy. I feel sorry for the people next door to the school who’s second floor window is on the same level and just feet away from the siren. When that siren gets vandalized I think we will know who the likely culprits may be.
What’s this “feel sorry for” business? The sirens are tested once a month for two minutes at a time when most people are still driving home from work. Are we so pampered that that level of insignificance now qualifies as a tremendous burden?
The only other time they’re likely to go off is if there’s potential danger about. Am I supposed to feel sorry for their being alerted to danger?
That’s all this thread seems to say: The sirens are bad! For some people they’re louder! For some people they’re softer! Jeez. It’s called the physics of sound waves. Wikipedia it.
Word. Hey, if I was the only one who had a say in the Libre household, I’d let the City put it in MY yard– assuming they were willing to pay me a nominal sum to cover my inconvenience, of course. Alas, my neighbors would promptly crap a gold brick, then run us out of town on a rail…
I can see where someone who works second or third shift and lives close by might be upset at having their sleep schedule interrupted. Nothing makes someone crankier than being woken up early and violently
(fortunately I live far enough away that it didn’t disturb my afternoon nap).
What I question is the need to do a full-scale test of the system every single month – wouldn’t once a quarter or once every six months suffice? And is there no way they can do a smaller scale test on a monthly basis?
And if it does not work when the time comes we will ask why we did not test it every month?
And when, after two or three months, we start tuning it out because we’ve heard it so often, and then it goes off for a real tornado warning, what then? We’re just going to think it’s another test or it’s somehow malfunctioned. I agree that a test every 6 months would make more sense (during non-tornado season?).
Unless Mother Nature throws us a tornado on the first Wednesday of the month at exactly 5pm, I’m pretty sure people could tell the difference. Or are you saying that residents should be absolved of any responsibility whatsoever for their own safety, not be expected to pay attention to even the most rudimentary elements of how our warning system works, and basically be spoon-fed everything to their exact personal specifications?
That’s not what you’re saying, is it?
I live behind the school and while the siren is really loud, I’d personally rather be alerted to a potential tornado than not be alerted at all. As far as being inappropriately sited, where are the appropriate places? It’s got to be near someone’s house. This is a tempest in a teapot. Next thing, the people who did this are going to complain about the noise the kids make on the playground.
I still don’t understand the opposition, much less the level of ire required to tag the school. You can put the blasted horns IMBY. I can deal with the once-a-month nuisance. In the event of an actual tornado it will prove beneficial to those I love.
What did the tag say? Was it profane?
so from a walker in the neighborhood, heavy teen activity and cars near the winnona park school 930p-ish
so it just might be kids/teens …..(doesn’t make it right)
way too much analysis of siren hating motivations….
more like bored teenagers acting dumb and destructive….
Sheesh. I’m a letter-writer, not a vandalizer.
Good grief. We are not a pure democracy ANYWHERE in this country, much less Decatur. Our governmental structure is is a representative democracy based on supposedly informed electorate voting people they hope represent their interests. Since one man or woman cannot possibly represent every single viewpoint in the universe, compromise for the good of the collective must be made.
Decisions cannot be made in any governmental structure based solely on community input or the opinion of a single special interest . Look at the corruption rampant corporate and special interest lobbying has had on our state and federal processes. Community input/committees/public comment periods, etc. exist for two purposes: to evaluate the needs of the community from the point of view of supposed representative members of the community to help the government make informed decisions, and to give community a feeling that it is participating in the process. A government is not required to implement suggestions of committee or special interest, but it often considers said opinions during decision making.
In other words, let public safety, CSD, ZBA, the city council, etc. do the jobs they are hired/elected to do. Participate in the process but quit whining when special interest fails to make the plan. If the government isn’t making the best decisions for the whole community, vote ‘em out. Engage, but don’t take every decision personally.
Here here: the Swiss debacle over the three minarets in the entire country can be contributed to the processes of a direct democracy.
The AJC is reporting that “Dekalb County” investigators are stunned by this act. Ha! Can someone buy them a map?