COLUMBIA — Residents on Roemer Road have raised concerns after Boone County proposed placing an outdoor warning siren on the road.
The Boone County Commission held a public hearing Tuesday for the placement of five new outdoor sirens throughout the county.
Residents of Roemer Road submitted a petition against the siren, as well as multiple letters and emails.
Residents say the siren could decrease the value of neighbors' properties, violate the low ambient noise level of the environment, have a negative effect on wildlife and be too close to hospice care.
Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick said the commission will listen to the concerns of Roemer Road residents but also take into consideration what is best for the county.
"The opposition that showed up was tied to Roemer Road, but the siren would not just service Roemer Road," Kendrick said. "So, we received five emails in support from folks in that (surrounding) area."
Patty Crane attended the public hearing on Tuesday and addressed the commission with concerns.
"Why they would even consider putting a siren here is puzzling. It's puzzling to me," Crane said.
Most of Roemer Road is outside the coverage radius of any outdoor warning siren, according to a map of siren coverage from the county.
A siren placed along the road could provide siren coverage to the neighborhood, as well as to other nearby neighborhoods that are farther away from a siren's coverage radius.
Crane opens her home to patients seeking hospice care free of cost. She said she would stop offering these services if the county moves forward with the siren.
"That's going to be heartbreaking because there are a lot of people out there who need a place to go," she said.
The Boone County Commission is set to consider the proposed sirens again on Tuesday, May 6.
Kendrick said that following the public hearing, the commission should come to a decision soon.
"We will weigh that testimony in through the week and likely come to a conclusion by May 6," Kendrick said.
However, if the county decides to move forward with the siren, Crane intends to continue her fight.
"We as a neighborhood have decided that we are going to seek legal counsel on this and maybe pursue a class-action lawsuit," she said.
