Madison Co. to build safe rooms at airport
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WEST JACKSON — When severe weather strikes, people in Madison County will soon have a place to go. Commissioners approved a budget amendment Monday that allows funding for safe rooms at McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport. “They’ll withstand wind speeds of over 250 miles per hour,” Jackson-Madison County Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Jason Moore said. Moore said federal, state, county and city funding will pay for the more than $470,000 project. It includes two safe rooms, one at the airport and the other at the Jackson-Madison County Emergency Operations Center. Moore said they also plan to reinforce the current EOC building so it can be used as a shelter. “This is an existing building that we took on, and it’s just not rated for tornadoes,” Moore said. Moore said the safe room at the airport will hold about 80 people. He said the EOC safe room will fit about 175 people, and the EOC will hold another 100 people. Some Jackson residents said they are concerned about the location. “The airport would be really nice if you lived in that area, but there’s not that many people live in that area,” Jackson resident Larry Williams said. Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris said the airport authority agreed to pay for part of the project. He said they hope to eventually add safe rooms in schools. “That’s just an expensive proposition,” Harris said. “We kind of have to do it as we get the funds to do it.” Moore said the safe rooms should also be able to withstand an earthquake. He expects construction to take several months and said they will work on the safe room at the airport first.
