A lightning detection system —turned off in May due to Westwood Regional Middle School construction—has become a flashpoint among residents, a council member, the mayor and Westwood Regional School District over concerns about public safety and lack of public notice.
Moreover, Township of Washington Councilman Michael DeSena wonders why the system needed to be shut down in the first place while a $24 million expansion project continues. He questioned why the project manager could not keep it operational or only have minimal downtime.
Since early June, many municipal facilities and recreational spaces have reopened to the public for outdoor recreation and sports after being closed for months due to the pandemic. Without the lightning detection system operating, the public has unnecessarily been put in jeopardy, said two local officials.
Apparently, contractors doing work on the $24 million middle school expansion turned off the lightning detection system on May 6, said Washington Township Mayor Peter Calamari, due to ongoing construction and plans to relocate the transmitter.
Calamari was notified of the shutoff May 6 by the Westwood regional district but apparently that message was not immediately relayed to residents by Calamari nor did the message appear on the police department’s Facebook page.
Calamari said initially he was not aware that the shutoff affected all lightning detection systems, instead believing that only the middle school was affected.
“Knowing what I have found out this past week regarding the scope, I regret the decision of not informing the public. In the future if I don’t fully understand how something works, especially when it comes to a matter of public safety, I will make further inquiries to educate myself,” Calamari told Pascack Press July 10.
DeSena said neighboring Westwood notified its residents in early May of the lightning detection shutdown but did not know what happened with Township notifications.
The lightning detection system was begun in 2013 and serves Westwood Regional School District, Westwood, Township of Washington, Emerson School District and Emerson.
DeSena said the lightning detection system serves as a critical early warning system for “dozens” of municipal fields, parks and recreation areas in the three towns and two school districts.
Westwood Regional District Business Administrator Keith Rosado said the system will be back in operation by July 25. He said the initial communication with the five system partners occurred May 6 to inform them of the system’s relocation and a subsequent message was sent out noting the system needed a software upgrade, said Rosado.
Rosado shared a May 8 Facebook message from Westwood that warned residents the lightning detection system would be down until late July due to middle school construction.
“We recommend avoiding the parks during inclement weather and if you have a cell phone, download a weather app that has lightning notifications,” said the message.
“I have been in communication with the (District) Business Administrator on a consistent basis. He assured me this afternoon that the system will be functional again in approximately two weeks,” stated Calamari July 8 in an online mayor’s message.
“When the system is operational I will have the signs uncovered, the information updated on the town’s website and have another Swift Reach message sent out. Please continue to exercise caution when using the parks and fields especially during inclement weather,” he advised.
However, DeSena said he believed that the developer in charge of middle school construction should never have turned off the detection system for such a long period. He said he should have removed the lightning detection system quickly and reinstalled it in the new location. Calamari agreed with DeSena.
Asked about Covid-19’s possible impacts on construction, DeSena said that should not have played any role in the lightning detection system.
“This should have never been down. Why didn’t they disassemble it and get it running in the new location?” questioned DeSena. “This is an everyday risk to our children and citizens. Our people are our biggest asset. It’s mind-boggling that this [shutdown] happened.”
He added, “There are missteps that occurred. This should have been handled better.”
DeSena said protection from lightning was critical and cited a 1996 incident in Park Ridge where a 20-year-old college student was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning after play had resumed on a local soccer field following a short rain delay.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, lightning kills 55 percent more Americans than tornadoes and 41 percent more than floods and hurricanes combined. Approximately 40–80 lightning strikes occur every year per square mile in the U.S.
Weather officials note that lightning causes thunder, and anytime thunder can be heard, the risk of lightning is real, whether you see lightning or not.