Elk Grove parks getting state-of-the-art weather warning system

An agreement between Elk Grove Village and the Elk Grove Park District will bring a state-of-the-art emergency weather and lightning alert system to parks throughout the community, officials said Wednesday.

Under the agreement approved Tuesday by the village board, the village will be responsible for the initial system purchase, with the park district overseeing the installation and assuming responsibility for ongoing maintenance. The Perry Weather system will cost $317,044, according to village documents.

The completely wireless, cloud-based system will replace the aging Thor Guard system, officials said. It will be constantly operating to provide round-the-clock weather monitoring and will be equipped with public address functionality, which allows them to function as an emergency management tool, able to broadcast personalized text-to-speech messages, officials said.

"Our community has come to depend on the alerts that warn park patrons and their surrounding neighborhoods about the danger or lightning in the area and we felt it was important to continue providing this important safety tool," Mayor Craig Johnson said in an announcement of the agreement.

"This new system not only provides for the safety of our park patrons, but also ensures that the entire community has access to these emergency weather alerts from their nearby parks," Elk Grove Park District board President Bill O'Malley added. "We are proud to partner with the village on efforts like this that place the health and safety of our community first."