All we want for Christmas is a working temperature gauge

The temperature gauge at the W.H. “Bud” Barron Airport has been out for a while, causing a hole in the area  TV weather map and a lot of discussion, no matter where one winds up in our lovely town.  

Comments about the temperature gauge began after people kept noticing that when they watched the weather forecast on Macon television, every larger city showed a temperature except for Dublin. 

The gauge took a lightning strike during a storm. The Laurens County Commissioners voted in September to purchase a new automated weather observing sytsem, or AWOS, for the airport.

 Discussions about the missing temperature gauge have been a topic overheard before various meetings and other locations, especially since it heated up in the Tell It! comments, which is normally near our weather graphic. Many people have called in their displeasure, asking what was up with the missing weather information.

The first Tell It! we could find came in around Halloween: “What steps need to be taken in order to address the issue with the temperature gauge at the airport? Perhaps constructing a ballfield on the premises could potentially attract funding for repairs.”

In mid-November, we received: “Before we build a new senior center, can we get the temperature gauge fixed so we know what to wear when we go to the center?

Comments continue to come in, and there are more on the way, particularly one where someone asked if the temperature gauge could be moved to Southern Pines.There was even a Tell It! in which a commenter said that all one needed to do was look at the surrounding county’s temperatures on the weather map and they would know the approximate number for our area.

We also have heard people suggest looking at a weather app on one of the many different electronic devices available. 

Now, Santa Claus might not be able to help us with a new temperature gauge yet, but sooner or later, this situation should be fixed and we will be able to see the temperature numbers in Dublin again.

And when that happens, all will be right in the world – or for Dublin, Laurens County at least.

And when that happens, those tired of hearing about the temperature gauge or reading about it in Tell It! will be able to quote that famous  line by Tiny Tim in “A Christmas Carol,” by saying, “God bless us, everyone!”