Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Construction of the National Weather Service's regional Doppler radar system is under way and the first prominent signs of the high-tech facility will appear by the end of June, officials said.
Representatives of the National Weather Service outlined development of the weather radar system during a county commissioners meeting Tuesday.
Federal officials chose a site northeast of North Webster for the radar, which will serve 24 counties in Indiana, five in southern Michigan and eight in northwest Ohio.
Construction of the facility is estimated to cost $2.1 million. The radar will cost about $4.08 million.
Warsaw is the last region within the United States to have Doppler radar established for weather protection. The process was slowed as area communities and political leaders debated the best location of the radar.
The radar will be located in the Tri-County Fish and Wildlife area.
Within two weeks, the antenna and an accompanying "ray dome" that protects the radar device will be erected and stand 112 feet.
The timeline mapped out by officials:
• By June 27, a head meteorologist will be hired and ground-breaking ceremonies will be held. Temporary trailers will be used for staff for about one year.
• By Oct. 1, construction on the building will begin and temporary mobile offices will provide advisory information to other stations.
• In March the facility will be commissioned and will begin providing warnings and short-term forecasts.
• By November 1998, the facility will assume a full range of forecast and warning operations.
The radar is the 160th in the continental United States.
"This new radar is a huge jump in technology," said Gary Foltz, regional transition manager for the National Weather Service. "In terms of lead times of warnings, we've seen our lead times increase five to 10 minutes and now we're averaging something like 15 to 20 minutes."
About 28 people will be employed with a combined annual salary of more than $1 million. The facility will be staffed with three to six employees at all times, depending on weather conditions.
All employees will probably be transferred from other positions within the National Weather Service.
Officials spent some time discounting traditional rumors that the radar emits dangerous levels of radiation. Pulses are transmitted in millionths of a second and the total time each day is less than three minutes, said Larry Krudwig, systems operation spokesman.
The level of radiation exposure is 10,000 times less than the minimal accepted threshold, he said.
Krudwig noted that the radar is always pointing up, not toward the ground.
"We certainly have no intention of putting ourselves or the public in harm's way," Krudwig said.
"The evidence is overwhelming that there is no known hazardous link at this time," he said.
Although budgetary constraints have led to cutbacks at other radar stations, Foltz said he was totally confident that funding will be provided for construction of the permanent facility and that the staff will not end up using the mobile homes on a regular basis.
