Cooling centers set for summer

To prepare for sweltering summer days, the city has set up places for residents to keep cool and hydrated.

For those residents without transportation to the designated air-conditioned locations, known as cooling centers, the city will provide free rides on Columbia buses.

“The cooling centers will go into effect when there is a heat advisory,” said Heather Baer, public information specialist for the Columbia/Boone County Health Department.

First Ward Councilwoman Almeta Crayton proposed the seasonal program during a City Council meeting last month.

“Senior citizens will die if they do not have a place to go,” Crayton said.

The centers will be in various locations around town, including the Columbia Public Library, the Health Department, the Activity and Recreation Center, the Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging Senior Center, the Armory, the Resource Center, Parks and Recreation Offices at Parkade Plaza and the Columbia Mall.

When the heat advisory is in effect, these locations will have signs at the door that say “Designated Cooling Center.”The Columbia Transit is willing to provide free transportation to the centers for those in need.

“We indicated to the council that it would be an option to provide passes,” said Mark Grindstaff, public works supervisor of Columbia Transit.

Grindstaff will give passes to the Health Department and other agencies, which would then distribute them to eligible participants.

In addition to the centers, the Health Department will establish a heat line phone service that will play a recorded message providing additional information about cooling centers and heat-related illnesses.

Until the line is established, people are encouraged to call the Health Department at 874-7356 for that information.

A public health nurse will soon be available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to answer questions.

“We (the Columbia Health Department) already have nurses on call during business hours,” Baer said. “We always have somebody who can answer questions.”

The Columbia Health Department also wants to make people more aware of heat exhaustion and heat strokes so they can prevent them.

This program is an addition to the many that are already in existence to assist those in need during a heat alert. The U.S. Postal Service has the “Carrier Alert” system, which monitors mail accumulation of enrolled members.

Residents are advised to watch and report signs of trouble such as closed windows and shades or several newspapers stacked in the lawn. If they are concerned, they can call the non-emergency number of the Columbia Police Department.

The Voluntary Action Center also has a fan donation program for those who are eligible.

If the community shows enough interest “we would like to continue doing (cooling centers) every year,” Baer said.