Wednesday Holts Summit mayor James Washington and city officlas cut the ribbon marking the offical open of the emergency shelter. 

City Administrator Victor Pitman helped guide the project and said he just wants resident to know they have a place to go during disasters.

"We want people in the community to be aware that it's here.  We've advertised it as it was being built we've had a lot of calls and question about what it is that you are building.  There was so much rebar people thought we were building a big jail."

The city held an open house at the shelter from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday to let residents see the new facility.  The purpose of the open house was to show Holts Summit resdients what exactly their tax dollars built.

SEMA gave the city $223,791 for the project, while the city paid $80,948.  In 2001, Holts Summit residents passed a quarter cent sales tax to go toward emergency management.

The emergency shelter is designed to hold 395 people and withstand an F5 tornado.  According to the city, Holts Summit has had six tornados impact areas within five miles of the city center in the past twenty-eight years.

Pitman says the shelter will also serve as a site for educational programs like crime prevention and be used by law enforcement for training.