ROGERS -- Residents can expect an updated storm warning system in time for spring storm season.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to buy an alert siren system for more than $405,000.
The system is a newer version of what the city has, Police Chief Hayes Minor said.
Rogers' siren system is nearly 20 years old and malfunctioned during Sunday night's storms, Minor said. The sirens went off, but residents in some neighborhoods were unable to hear them, he said. The storms damaged 80 residential properties and 17 commercial properties in Rogers, Mayor Greg Hines said during a news conference before Tuesday's City Council meeting. More than 5,000 residents didn't have electricity Tuesday, Hines said.
Minor pointed out the siren system is intended to be an outdoor warning system, and residents should still keep their phones near them, especially at night, so they can hear alerts from the National Weather Service or other agencies.
Minor expects to have the new system installed in about 90 days, he said.
The City Council also voted unanimously to purchase liquid de-icing equipment for the Rogers Executive Airport for more than $63,000. The product is more effective than the de-icer the airport normally uses and is needed for inclement weather, said David Krutsch, airport manager. Council members approved spending an additional $10,000 on a heavy duty storage tank for the de-icer.
The city also will apply for a $27,500 grant from the Arkansas Rural Development Commission to pay for wastewater infrastructure improvements at City Hall on West Chestnut Street. Hines said he predicts the city will receive the grant, but the city will pay for the improvements regardless.
NW News on 10/23/2019