In recent months, the Eureka Springs School Board has discussed applying for a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency that would provide 75 percent of the cost of a storm shelter. At the Jan. 14 board meeting, Maintenance Plant Manager Mike Dwyer explained that the high school already has a location below ground for an emergency shelter, and the elementary and middle schools would benefit from a shelter. Dwyer said the shelter would have to be connected to the school, even if that means moving the road in front of the elementary.
A meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29, in the Berryville High School cafeteria. Representatives from Eureka Springs, Berryville, and Green Forest will attend, and the meeting is open to the public. These three districts are working with Two Rivers Emergency Management to develop a hazard mitigation plan under FEMA. The plan, known as the Carroll County Educational Cooperative Hazard Mitigation Plan, will assess natural hazards’ risk and vulnerabilities to each of these school districts and provide recommendations to increase their resiliency. In doing so, these actions aim to protect school district facilities and those who attend classes and work in these school districts.