Portable traffic signal
Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson today announced the county has been awarded nearly $200,000 in state Local Efficiency Achievement Program (LEAP) grant funds to implement shared services projects.
Atlantic County continues to work with our municipalities to find cost savings through shared services, Levinson said in a release. This is the latest round of funding we were successful in obtaining.
A $147,000 grant will fund a feasibility study for a centralized fire and EMS call center and dispatch system. Thirteen municipalities adopted resolutions supporting this study after the county executive received initial letters of request from the Atlantic County Fire Chiefs Association, Atlantic County Firefighters Association and the Atlantic County EMS Association.
Atlantic County remains one of only four counties in the state without some form of a centralized emergency dispatch center, Levinson said. We attempted this before, but this time I am told we have solid support from the fire and EMS communities. This grant will enable us to hire a consultant to study several elements involved in creating a successful multi-use center before proceeding.
A $45,000 grant will allow Atlantic County to purchase a pair of portable traffic lights that will be available to municipalities as needed at no cost to them. Portable traffic lights may be used in place of flagmen, to help control traffic flow in construction zones, during localized power outages, and as a temporary replacement for a damaged or inoperable traffic pole.
Making portable traffic lights available to towns saves them the expense of having to individually purchase them for relatively sporadic use, Levinson said.
Levinson also commended Shared Services Coordinator and former Ventnor Mayor Tim Kreischer for his efforts in applying for these grants.
Downbeach towns have already participated in the countywide shared services effort by sharing with their counterparts the cost of purchasing an emergency communications trailer. The implementation grant provided 75% of the cost of purchasing a trailer equipped as a mobile office and technology command center for use during emergencies and large community events.
Longport was the lead agency on a LEAP grant that allowed CRS Rating System communities to share in the cost of purchasing the Forerunner software program used for floodplain management.
