New emergency alert system said to be working well

— Benton County officials said Thursday the BCAlert telephone warning system has functioned well during recent severe weather.

County Judge Bob Clinard told the Quorum Court the system is responding at a level regarded as highly successful, with about 70 percent of the calls made during emergency situations being received.

Elizabeth Bowen, the county’s administrative services director, said a 70 percent success rate is considered high after taking into account the limitation of the database and the expected number of unanswered calls sent to voice mail or answering machines.

Centerton Mayor Bill Edwards attended Thursday’s meeting and said the system has been well received in his city. Edwards said his main concern now is to increase the number of residents who have signed up for the service.

“We’ve got to do a better job promoting this,” Edwards said.

BCAlert is designed to generate automatic telephone warning calls in the event of a tornado warning. Users of the system can also sign up for a variety of other alerts that can be sent to e-mail accounts, smart phones and other devices.

The justices of the peace authorized an additional $8,700 to pay for operation of the system through the end of the year. The county’s cost for the remainder of the year is now $42,700. The county paid for operation of the system for its first year and cities in Benton County are deciding whether to continue to participate. Edwards said Centerton City Council has approved participation through the end of 2011.

During the county judge’s report, the Quorum Court heard a report on the PAL Network Leadership Health Challenge. David Nelson, CEO of Parent Advocate Leadership Network, briefed the Quorum Court of the organization's efforts to promote healthier lifestyles, with an emphasis on drinking more water.

Also on Thursday night, the Benton County Quorum Court:

◊Established a county depository board;

◊ Approved an ordinance amendment for hiring or terminating of the director of information systems and changes to the county’s computer systems;

◊Confirmed the appointment of Dr. Norman Tubbs, Jamee Perryman and Dr. G. Bruce Walton to the Northwest Arkansas HIV Clinic Board;

◊Approved appointing H. LeRoy Thompson and Pam Underwood to three-year terms as the Quorum Court representatives to the Benton County Equalization Board;

◊Authorized applying for a grant in the Drug Court Enhancement Grant Program through the U.S. Department of Justice;

◊Authorized applying for a grant in the Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program available through the U.S. Department of Justice;

◊A resolution authorizing the application for a grant and acceptance of funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission;

◊A resolution authorizing the application and acceptance of funds from the office of Community Oriented Policing Services’ 2011 Child Predator Program Grant;

◊A resolution accepting the audit report for Benton County for 2008 and 2009;

◊An ordinance appropriating a $5,000 donation from Walmart to the Benton County Sheriff ’s Office to buy child safety seats;

◊An ordinance appropriating $8,175 for the supplies for the county’s Citizen Corps Program;

◊An ordinance appropriating $40,000 for meth lab cleanup services for the Benton County Sheriff ’s Office;

◊An ordinance appropriating $35,000 for two fire trucks for the county’s rural fire services; and

◊An ordinance appropriating $5,200 for video cameras for the Quorum Court meeting room.

News, Pages 10 on 06/01/2011