August 28, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 5 Waldwick District collects data on lightning detection system Rich Wills of Strike Guard, a lightning detection system vendor, addressed the Waldwick Board of Education last week. The presentation was the latest step in the district’s move toward installing a light- ning detection system that would serve the school fields. While the placement of a sensor has yet to be determined, alarms are being considered for the fields at the middle school/high school campus and at Cres- cent and Traphagen schools, Waldwick Superintendent Dr. Patricia Raupers explained. Dr. Raupers noted that the cost esti- mates for a lighting detection system vary widely based on the various available options. However, she did state that the district plans to discuss a potential shar- ing of the cost with the borough, since the school fields are also used by the bor- ough’s recreational sports teams. Last week, Waldwick Mayor Thomas Giordano indicated that he and Bor- ough Administrator Gary Kratz had been invited to discuss the concept with Waldwick School Board President Patty Levine and School Business Administra- tor John Griffin. However, Giordano said a meeting date has yet to be chosen. “We have not yet formally met with them to talk about it,” Giordano said. “When we meet we will then bring up it to the council for discussion.” Information available on the Strike Guard website indicates that the compa- ny’s products monitor cloud and cloud- to-ground lightning, and technology that prevents false alarms from occurring. Lightning can be detected within a 20- mile range. Earlier this year, Dr. Dominic Novelli, who heads the Waldwick Board of Educa- tion’s Buildings and Grounds Committee, said the board’s concern centers around safety and liability. In addition to reviewing the options and costs for a lightning detection system, the board would also have to develop a policy and procedures to be followed once the warning system is operational. School and recreational coaches who use the fields would have to be trained as to when to start getting off the field and where to take the children if an emergency arises. While impending electrical storms can be easy to detect, in some instances, as was the case in Demarest last year, a man died after being struck by lightning while watching his grandson play soccer. In that incident, people on the field did not hear any thunder or detect any signs of a storm. Lightning detection systems, which can be mounted on schools or other buildings, continuously monitor the atmosphere’s electrostatic energy and evaluate the potential for lightning within a certain radius, providing the neces- sary alerts with horn blasts followed by flashing strobe lights. Once the system determines that the hazardous condition is past, an all-clear signal is sounded and the lights stop flashing. Other systems are monitored remotely and send an e- blast or text message with the warning. Last year, the board approached the borough about the possibility of install- ing the detection system as a joint ven- ture, but no action was taken at that time. Friends of White’s Pond seeks support The community is invited to hear the Friends of White’s Pond’s presentation to Mayor Giordano and the Waldwick Borough Council on Tuesday, Sept. 3. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Waldwick Municipal Building at 63 Franklin Turnpike. The group will urge the governing body to take action to save the at-risk pond. Topics to be addressed at the meet- ing include insect-borne diseases from swamp formation and rising water tables. The group plans to make a request for open air and grant funding sources to be designated for the immediate solution of dredging. Organization members note that the amenities offered by White’s Pond improve the quality of life and property values for all in the community.