Dierks City Council discusses upgrading radios and weather siren alert system

The city of Dierks is looking to upgrade its weather siren alert system.  At Monday’s meeting of the Dierks City Council, Police Chief John McKee said the current system is nearly 50 years old and a lot of effort is being spent to keep the system operational.  McKee noted that Nashville and De Queen have both recently upgraded their units, and while Dierks might not have the same financial resources as those two towns, the city does need to look at a more modern siren warning system. 

Chief McKee said he would begin the process to see what type of grant funding is available.Dierks has also obtained a $5,000 grant for its fire department.  The funding is coming from Weyerhaeuser and will be used to purchase radios.

At the start of yesterday’s meeting, Kaitlin Miller was sworn in to fill an open vacancy on the city council.  She replaces Roddy Smith, who recently moved outside his city ward.Mayor Ronnie Cogburn did not attend Monday’s council meeting.  The mayor was injured during a hunting incident over the weekend.