Princeton Times

News

Discussion

November 9, 2012

Courthouse set to turn up volume on fire alarm system

By MATT CHRISTIAN Princeton Times

PRINCETON — The Mercer County Commission may have to pay more than $90,000 to upgrade its fire alarm system, or risk the state Fire Marshal closing the courthouse.

County Commissioner Mike Vinciguerra said the issues began when he heard an alarm on the third floor of the courthouse.

He believed the noise from the fire alarm was a jackhammer working on the street. He added that people along the second floor heard the alarm and looked out the door to see what was going on.

“I think the biggest problem was that no one actually thought to evacuate the building,” He said. “I called downstairs to see what was going on, but I never thought to evacuate the building.”

The sound no one identified was the fire alarm sounding.

After the fire alarm situation had been resolved, the Courthouse was inspected and the fire marshal found the alarm system inadequate.

“They didn’t even hear the alarm downstairs in the basement,” Vinciguerra said.

The fire marshals then worked with Cox Security determine the types of equipment and alarms that would be adequate for the courthouse.

Vinciguerra told his fellow County Commissioner J.W. “Jay” Mills, County Coordinator Vicky Reed, and County Clerk Verlin Moye that the commission had received the estimate from Cox Communications totaling almost $99,000 in upgrade expense projections.

Rather than automatically proceeding with the project, the Commission must receive at least three bids for projects worth more than $20,000 before work can commence to replace the fire alarm system currently in place.

— Contact Matt Christian at mchristian@ptonline.net.

Text Only
News
AP Video
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel? Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Sports

Multimedia