Brian Morgan, director of administration for the city of Troy said the city is taking Y2K seriously. Morgan has been working on the city’s hardware and software to prepare for the new millennium.

County, city get ready

for turn of century

By MICHELLE WILSON

When the clock strikes midnight on New Year 2000, Troy City and Pike County officials don’t anticipate there to be many problems.

Members of Troy city government, Troy Police Department and Pike County Sheriff’s Department say they have taken measures to avoid any Y2K problems and will be available in case of emergency.

City of Troy administrators take the Year 2000 problem seriously, said Brian Morgan, director of administration for the city of Troy.

"We have identified the systems in our operation that may be vulnerable and have worked with our vendors and suppliers to ensure that the Year 2000 issue will not pose a problem to our customers," Morgan said. "Many personal computers and associated software have been replaced during 1997 and 1998 with Y2K compliant Pentium-based devices.

"The other hardware and software have been identified and tested for Y2K compliance. We have also inventoried and tested various general-purpose systems as well as our telephone systems."

Like most organizations, the city buys equipment, software and hardware from a variety of vendors and has business interactions with numerous organizations, he said. Even with the best efforts, some Y2K issues may be overlooked or the fixes may not be successful.

"We are not aware at this time of any Y2K issues that would impact the ability of the city of Troy to provide public services such as police and fire protection, or the Utility Department to deliver electric, water and wastewater utility services to our customers," Morgan said.

Troy residents who have questions about the city’s Y2K compliance can call Brian Morgan at 566-2130

In addition to the work of city administrators, members of the Troy Police Department are preparing for Y2K.

"The Troy Police Department shares the concerns of the community regarding what will occur when the New Year comes," said Troy Police Chief Anthony Everage. "The Troy Police Department is in the process of addressing as many of the possible situations as possible and have taken action and consulted with vendors on equipment that could be affected."

Police officers have made arrangements for back up power to operate the dispatch, jail and other department facilities, and back up radio communications in case of a power outage, Everage said. There will also be an alternative method of refueling police vehicles in case gasoline supplies are short.

Leave has been canceled for patrol personnel and scheduling for patrol has been increased for several days at start of 2000, he added.

"We will have the ability to put all 43 officers on patrol at one time if necessary," Everage said. "We assure you that if the Troy Police Department is needed, we will respond to those needs."

The Pike County Sheriff’s Department also plans to have additional patrols going into the New Year, said Sheriff Russell Thomas.

"In the county we anticipate three major concerns when it comes to Y2K – the availability of electricity, telephone and water," Thomas said. "Area utility vendors have said they do not expect problems at the start of the new year, but we want to ease residents’ concerns."

Thomas added, "There are people in the county, especially senior citizens, who have special medical needs like ventilators. They will be affected if the power goes out, and there will be no heat. Some of these people have told us they fear the telephones may go out and there will be no way to contact us if there is a need."

He said he wants to assure people in the county that even if utilities go down, his department will be available to help them.

"We have been assured we will be able to maintain radio contact within the sheriff’s department," he said. "We will be here to protect and serve if needs arise."

Deputies will work throughout the New Year holiday weekend checking on residents and ensuring their safety, he said. If people are particularly concerned for themselves or a relative, Thomas said they can ask his department ahead of time to check in on that individual New Year’s Day.

"We don’t expect to have a lot of problems," Thomas said. "We will be out in full force and be visible.

"Hopefully, this will deter any criminal thoughts."