by Miles Jung-Kilbreath
Reporter
Streetsboro -- With the high school radio station 88.9 FM WSTB looking to purchase a new emergency generator, City Council April 28 approved donating $500 from the general fund to the cause.
"The upgrade project for our generator will allow us to continue broadcasting in an emergency situation," said WSTB Operations Manager Billy Germanie at the meeting.
The new generator for the station will cost between $30,000 to $40,000, according to Germaine. He said the station is working to raise the money through grants, since the station is a non-profit organization, and donations through a membership drive.
Germaine said the current generator is "really outdated" and could only provide power for around 10 minutes on a full tank of gasoline. He said in case of a power outage, the new generator would be able to send a signal to members of the station's staff, alerting them it's been activated.
"With the new generator, if the power goes out, it would only take about a minute before it would kick in and allow us to broadcast again," Germaine said.
The generator is needed for the radio station to keep its Federal Communications Commission license, according to Germaine. Per the license agreement, he said the station must be able to relay information to residents in an emergency situation, which could be limited by how long the old generator could last.
"It's our duty to provide information to Streetsboro in an emergency," Germaine said.
Council President Pete Buczkowski suggested donating to the radio station during a 2008 budget meeting in February. He said the radio station is an important part of the city, and he wanted to support "the work of our kids" at the station.
"They've done a great job representing our city," Buczkowski said.
Mayor Tom Wagner said he is pleased the city can support the radio station, which will now be better able to help get information to residents in a power outage.
Germaine said he hopes the generator will be installed at the station and working in a few months.
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