NEWS
New alert system goes live in Bowie
The City of Bowie has initiated a new community alert system that went live on Oct. 3.
Kirk Higgins, city emergency management coordinator, explains with this system a citizen inside the city limits can select the alerts they wish to receive whether it be community events or severe weather alerts and how to receive those for example on a cell phone.
Announcements might include the dates for a festival or news about a broken water main. It also automatically sends national severe weather alerts for tornadoes or storms.
“While it is similar to what the county provides, it is easier to use and allows you to update it when you want,” said Higgins.
The subscriber can set the alerts or messages to come in a phone call, text message, email or through Alexa.
Those preferences can be changed at any time in the future. Higgins said one of the great features is being able to narrow down a specific area of the city for an alert, for example, a broken water main impacting a five-block area in town. Alerts could go out just to those in the impact area not to everyone in the system.
“It can be tailored to whatever we need by simply drawing a box on a map of the city, which creates a lot of options,” said the coordinator.
Community announcements will include utility outages, wildfires, floods, public health alerts and criminal activity.
Community events could include Jim Bowie Days, Chicken and Bread Days, Second Monday and other similar items.
This service is provided free of charge to the residents of Bowie. Higgins added if you reside outside the city, but work inside the city you could use the work address to receive alerts that impact that area. Citizens can sign up at hyper-reach.com/txcityofbowiesignup.html, call or text 940-531-9400. For an Alexa, the citizens asks it to enable hyper-reach.
The Bowie News office will be closed Dec. 24-25 for the Christmas holiday, and Dec. 30 and Jan. 1.
There is an early deadline of 4 p.m. on Dec. 27 for the Jan. 1 Bowie News for all news and ad items.
Your Jan. 1 edition will be delivered to the mail and racks one day earlier due to the New Year’s holiday. We hope you have a great Christmas week.
Your Bowie News staff wishes you the blessings of a wonderful Christmas as you enjoy time with family and friends. Our offices will be closed Dec. 24-25 for the holiday.
Montague County Commissioners wrapped up a few items before the end of the year as they met on Dec. 23.
Grant Coordinator Charley Lanier asked the court to go ahead and obligate $276,961.84 from the American Rescue Funds to complete the new wastewater treatment plant that will serve the courthouse complex.
He explained Dec. 30 is the last date where grant funds can be obligated, and he did not expect any issues since this project had already been approved in court using ARPA funds, he called it a “safety net,” to avoid any problem and possible return of the funds to the federal government.
Montague County has about $276,961.84 in grant funds which has not been allocated.
The court gave approval on the request.
Lanier also asked the court to apply for a grant for a tire cutter. Funded through the Nortex Regional Planning Commission and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the application will ask for $26,865 to purchase a larger gas-powered cutter on a trailer, which can be moved around for use. It would cut the larger tires into four pieces, which would be allowed into a landfill. Lanier said if the cutter comes through the county would need to obtain a permit for its use from TCEQ, which he added should not be an issue.
Commissioner Mark Murphey said he picks up more tires abandoned on the county roads than he disposes of at his own yard, adding he probably has 500 at his yard. The court gave approval to apply for this competitive grant.
The remainder of Monday’s brief meeting were year-end items. Bonds for the justice of the peace one, county clerk, county attorney, district attorney, sheriff, commissioner three and constable two were accepted.
A cooperative agreement with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the county was approved, along with a license and services agreement with Local Government Solutions to provide software for both justice of the peace officers. The county attorney’s Chapter 59 Asset Forfeiture report was presented with no new seizures or forfeiture.
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