Howard County Judge Updates Rotary on Emergency Preparedness, Road Plans

Howard County Judge Brent Pinkerton was the guest speaker at Wednesday’s meeting of the Nashville Rotary Club, held on the Nashville campus of UA Cossatot.

During his remarks, Pinkerton said Howard County partnered with the City of Nashville to purchase a mobile command center through an online government surplus auction in Washington state. He said the total cost of purchasing the Winnebago, transporting it to Arkansas, and stripping the unit totaled approximately $45,000. 

Pinkerton said the mobile command center will be a valuable asset during missing person searches, in the aftermath of severe storms, and at community events. 

Pinkerton also announced that Howard County has been awarded a state historic preservation grant to fund upgrades to the Howard County Courthouse. 

In addition, Pinkerton introduced Howard County’s new Veterans Services Officer, Rebecca Fortenberry. 

Addressing the county’s road system, Pinkerton said Howard County maintains approximately 195 miles of paved roads. He noted that resurfacing one mile of road with two inches of asphalt costs about $200,000, while chip sealing one mile costs roughly $100,000. Pinkerton said his goal is to dedicate approximately $500,000 in county sales tax revenue each year toward road improvements.