Scott County will stay with Nixle for emergency notifications

BENTON, Mo. -- Nixle may not have all the features offered by CodeRED, but the price is right for the Scott County Emergency Management Agency: free.

Tom Beardslee, emergency management director for the county, said during the regular county commission meeting Tuesday that CodeRED submitted a proposal for the county to consider.

"It's no different than Nixle but costs money," Beardslee said.

Beardslee said Nixle and CodeRED are automated messaging systems that depend on people to sign up to receive messages.

To sign up to receive alerts from the Scott County Emergency Management Agency, individuals may click the Nixle link on the Scott County Emergency Management Agency page, scottcountymo.com/emer_management.html, he said.

"If they go to our website it hooks them directly up with us," Beardslee said. "All they have to do is click on the link and it will take them through, step-by-step. It's as easy as it can get."

Those who sign up may enter a phone number for text alerts or an email address to have alerts emailed.

"The text is quicker," Beardslee said, but said he understands not everyone has unlimited texting.

Beardslee said only about 500 people are signed up to receive notices.

"We use it primarily for weather advisories," he said. "October and November are kind of nonevent months for weather but around December or January it becomes important again to notify people when something comes our way."

Beardslee said Scott County Emergency Management Agency's Nixle may be used, however, for "anything of an emergency nature."

The Scott County Sheriff's Department also uses Nixle, Beardslee said, but it is a separate sign-up to receive those notifications.

In other business during Tuesday's meeting, commissioners have taken a step toward another Off-System Bridge Replacement Program project.

This program allocates Federal Highway Administration funding in Missouri through the Missouri Department of Transportation to counties based on the total number of bridges and the number of deficient bridges within the county as compared with state totals.

The project under consideration would replace a bridge on County Road 262, according to Presiding County Commissioner Jamie Burger.

The county put out a request for qualifications for an engineering consultant for the project, Burger said, and four engineering firms responded: Horner and Shifrin Inc. of Poplar Bluff, Mo.; Smith and Co. of Poplar Bluff; Koehler Engineering and Land Surveying of Cape Girardeau; and Waters Engineering and Surveying of Sikeston, Mo.

Commissioners will individually rate each of the firms by scoring them between 1 and 30 in three categories: experience and technical competence; capacity and capability; and past record of performance.

The firms then will be ranked using the point totals, Burger said. Once firms are ranked, commissioners will "have our consultant selection process to go through," he said.

Burger said the latest bridge replacement program project, a bridge on County Road 468, just north of the MoDOT district office, is under construction.

Pertinent address:

Benton, Mo.