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Meeting of 12 September 2006 The meeting was opened at 10:00 by PCDC president Buz Harvey. In attendance were Buz Harvey, Tammy Snodgrass (MRPC), Joe Counsil, Paul Rueff, Jason Finch, Jim Macormic, Rick Walls, Bill Bleckman, Gary Ross, Dan Babcock, Rich Hashagen, Chuck Pederson, Russ Caton, Ray Fox, Jodi Waltman, Ray Massey, and Scott Grahl. Buz Harvey, President of the PCDC, called the meeting to order at approximately 10 a.m. and asked everyone present to introduce themselves. Approval of Aug. 8, 06 PCDC Mtg. Minutes - A motion was made by Jodi Waltman to approve the Aug. 8, 06 PCDC minutes and it was seconded by Richard Hashagen. A voice vote on the motion showed unanimous approval. Motion carried. Program Grant Status; Financial Report – Tammy Snodgrass (MRPC) said that SEMA required that individuals attend formal EGMS (Electronic Grant Management System) training last month which she attended with Linda Loughridge, the fiscal officer for the Meramec Regional Planning Commission. EGMS is an online system for managing grant budgets, reimbursements and request for budget changes. Ms. Snodgrass is also working with the SEMA staff to tie each line item in the PCDC budget to the state’s Homeland Security strategic plan. Ms. Snodgrass submitted the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) grant for $11,400 on Aug. 27, 06. SEMA will announce the CERT grant awards the beginning of next week. The 2006 Budget/Grant Request remains at $16,000 and includes the general six areas of interest. Mr. Harvey added that the PCDC’s intent with its work and mission is to expand it from a HAZMAT level of preparedness to the “average man/woman on the street” level of preparedness for tornadoes, severe weather, earthquakes, hazardous waste/chemical spills, power outages, radioactive fallout from nuclear plant disasters/spills and even weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or terrorist related attacks. Homeland Security Oversight Committee (HSOC) – Paul Rueff, reported that he contacted the Salvation Army Thrift Store and the American Red Cross in Rolla to request assistance with items that the community would need in case of a catastrophic emergency/disaster such as water, blankets, cots, MRE’s, etc. Ms. Snodgrass said the HSOC met last month with representation from various disciplines from Phelps County. There is a need for representation from other counties at the meeting, and she is trying to recruit more members. Jodi Waltman announced that the Phelps/Maries County Health Department will be hosting a Pandemic Influenza Table Top exercise Oct. 2 from 9 a.m. to 12-noon at the Phelps County Courthouse General Meeting Room. She said that everyone on the PCDC is invited to attend and that those interested in attending should RSVP to her at 458-6010. The purpose of the exercise is to encourage community-wide cooperation in case of a real emergency. She said many agencies and organizations will be attending such as the City of Rolla, Phelps County Regional Medical Center, Briggs and Stratton, Rep. Bob May, Senator Frank Barnitz and others. Paul Rueff reiterated the importance of creating a data base of resources for volunteers to be able to use in times of emergencies. National Preparedness Month – Joe Counsil reported that he distributed about 5,000 “Ready in 3” brochures/pamphlets among PCDC members and that about 3,000 were distributed at the St. James Fall Grape Festival. Richard Hashagen confirmed earlier that hundreds of brochures/pamphlets were distributed to 4 agencies, including the Kiwanis Club, American Legion and VFW. Mr. Counsil said there were 2,000 brochures still available in stock for distribution at upcoming events. Lt. Jim Macormic said he could use some of the extras at the Home Expo held in March at UMR’s Gail Ballman’s Multi-purpose Room. Ms. Waltman also mentioned she could use some at the annual Phelps County Regional Health Fair scheduled for Oct. 6 at The CENTRE. Neighborhood Watch – Mr. Harvey reminded everyone that NIMS (National Incident Management System) training is available online for Neighborhood Watch Groups, members of the PCDC or anyone else interested at the FEMA Web site at www.fema.gov. Chuck Pederson, who offers free GIS software/mapping training at Rolla Technical Institute (RTI), reported that 8 people attending his class last month. The public is invited to attend the free mapping workshop the third Wednesday of the month from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Room 137 in Rolla Technical Institute located at 1304 E. 10th Street in Rolla. The workshop is useful to anyone who needs to pay attention to geographic locations for incident management (911 Dispatch, Neighborhood Watch, Law Enforcement, First Responders, etc.). Attendees will receive a CD of Phelps County Map Data (or relevant area of jurisdiction) and free viewing software from the USGS, and instruction about interfacing a GPS to your computer. Feel free to bring your laptop and GPS if you would like assistance in setup/configuration of your computer. The workshop is free. To register, please contact Chuck at paraord@lycos.com or phone him at (573) 341-3963. This workshop is sponsored by the Phelps County Disaster Committee (http://www.rollanet.org/~disaster). Funded Program Reports – Ms. Waltman reported that $1,000 is now available to assist with travel expenses incurred by individuals in the Medical Reserve Corps. who attend state/federal conferences. Weather Shelters – Lt. Jim Macormic reported that he has 2 committed contracts for weather shelters and three more that are pending various Church board confirmations in the Phelps County area. He said he hopes to have six confirmed weather shelters by the end of September with a list of sites available in Mid-October to all the Phelps County 911 dispatchers. Lt. Macormic also said the Rolla Police Department is in the process of trying to create a Staff Sergeant position in the Rolla Police Department’s 2006/2007 fiscal year budget that will allocate 50 percent of their time to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and 50 percent to other assigned duties. Citizen Corps Support – Joe Counsil announced that after serving as a volunteer on the Citizen Corps for many years, he will finish his last year as a volunteer in December 2006. He said there will be five new volunteer positions open that will need to be filled in January 2007. Old Business – None. New Business: Future Grant Cycles for 2006 – Mr. Harvey said the PCDC will continue planning for future grant opportunities as in the past. Discussion of future meeting room locations, meeting frequency – Mr. Harvey said the PCDC will continue to meet the second Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. in the Phelps County Courthouse General Meeting Room. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:05 a.m.
Respectfully submitted, |