December 17, 2021 * Issue 255 |
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On Wednesday, December 15 Mayor Lester Miller paid a visit to his alma mater to speak with students at Southwest High School. Mayor Miller’s goal was to have a conversation with students about what the County could do to keep them safe and help them achieve their goals in life.
“I’m a Southwest Patriot through and through and it’s an honor to be here today as Mayor to speak to you all,” Mayor Miller told the students. “In order to move our community forward, we need you all involved. You are important, the next generation, and we care about you.”
After introducing himself, Mayor Miller gave an update on his Macon Violence Prevention (MVP) strategic plan, which he unveiled last week. Then he took questions and comments from students. Many students brought up ideas to help tackle violence in our community. A few of them agreed that they want to have more supervised activities for kids and teenagers to get involved with. Others mentioned having more deputies patrolling neighborhoods, which is part of the MVP strategic plan.
"It was great to hear from these students about these important issues happening in our community," said Mayor Miller. "A lot of them had ideas that were very similar to the adults we have spoken to. It was a great conversation and I am so impressed by how involved they were."
Students were also given more information about Macon Mental Health Matters and the free counseling offered through this initiative.
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Our East Macon Community Center officially has a new name as well as new renovations. The Center located on Ocmulgee E. Blvd is now the Delores A. Brooks Community Center, named after the first black woman elected to the Macon City Council.
On Friday, December 10, we held an official ribbon cutting and name dedication. Brooks’ family, including her daughter Pamela Montgomery, was there to share in the celebration.
“I think she’s well-deserving of it because I realize how much time she was away from home to give to her community,” said Montgomery. “I remember when this center was built and this was her baby.”
Brooks dedicated her life to helping her community in so many ways and paved the way for so many people.
“We’ll now be able to teach our children and future generations that this great name took care of a lot of business while she was on the City Council,” said District 3 Commissioner Elaine Lucas. “This renaming pays tribute to a person who gave an awful lot to this community.”
The ceremony on Friday also showcased the second phase of renovations made at the Center. Those renovations include the resurfacing of courts and fields, updating the drainage system, renovating the pool, replacing roofs and HVAC, and relocating the main office.
“We service a lot of the community already and have a lot of programs, so we’re excited to reopen up the improved center,” said Center Supervisor TJ Hudson.
In the first phase of improvements, the Center received new sidewalks, a new t-ball field, a rebuilt concession stands, new fencing, and upgrades to the storm drainage system and the scoring boxes. This phase cost $300,000 and was also paid for with voter-approved SPLOST funds. That phase was completed in April 2016, and you can see a feature video about it here.
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During a recent Commission meeting, Mayor Lester Miller took the time to give a special shoutout to our County Directors who have been hired during his administration.
"I want to recognize this team for their hard work and jumping into their roles so efficiently," said Mayor Lester Miller. "These directors may have been with us for a short time so far, but they are already making a big difference in each department and throughout our community. Thank you for all you do."
The directors recognized include IT Chief Information Officer Reginald Brown, Executive Director of Community Affairs Dr. Henry Ficklin, Director of Human Resources Derrick T. Jordan, Director of Procurement Franklin Lawson, Director of Code Enforcement J.T. Ricketson, and Director of Small Business Affairs Charise Stephens.
You can watch the recognition here from 1:46:04-1:51:00.
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Macon-Bibb County government offices and the court system will be closed Thursday, December 23, and Friday, December 24 in observance of Christmas. Emergency services will continue to operate as normal those days.
Trash and recycling service provided by Waste Management and Ryland Environmental will not be affected and will operate as usual Monday through Friday.
The Macon-Bibb Solid Waste Department will address SeeClickFix tickets Monday through Wednesday and will be closed Thursday, December 23 and Friday, December 24.
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As part of the County Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, Mayor Lester Miller, Commissioners, and staff got a sneak peak of the new Hotel Forty Five, located on the corner of 1st and Cherry Streets. The hotel, formerly known as the Willie C. Annex Building, is nearing the end of construction as the old office space becomes a historic boutique hotel.
Commissioners were able to see what guests can expect when they book their stays. The 94-room hotel pays tribute to Macon music legends such as Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers Band throughout rooms and hallways. It also features paintings and art of Downtown Macon and cherry blossoms.
The tour included seeing the Hightales Rooftop Bar overlooking Macon City Hall, restaurants, coffee and wine bar, event venues, and a couple of guest rooms.
The hotel is expecting to open in February 2022.
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Brookdale Resource Center Communications
Plan recognized nationally
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Macon-Bibb County was recognized with Honorable Mentions in two categories of the PR Daily Awards for its Brookdale Resource Communication Plan: Cause-Related Marketing Plan and Crisis Communication Plan.
In both cases, the Plan was judged against national campaigns that reached millions of people, and still it was determined to be in the top six in the country for Cause-Related and top two for Crisis Communication.
“This was a huge undertaking by everyone involved, and I’m proud of the way we all pulled together to get the message out to the public,” says Chief Communications Officer Chris Floore. “I’m very proud of our communications staff for taking the need to heart and continuously found ways to tell the Center’s story and ultimately help the people that need us the most.”
“I knew if we just asked people to donate time, money, resources, and services, we wouldn’t be as successful in fully supporting people. Our community needed to see and hear the stories of people being helped and how they play a part in that,” says Mayor Lester Miller. “This Communications team found those stories and figured out how to best tell them, from media coverage to videos to graphics to releases.”
"Setting up the Brookdale Resource Center happened in about seven days, truly as an emergency need to get housing insecure people out of the cold,” says Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Spencer Hawkins. “It was this communications plan that let people know how they could use the services provided or donate much-needed supplies that allowed us to be successful.”
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It was a hole in one for helping others over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend! Historic Bowden Golf Course and The United Way of Central Georgia teamed up for ‘Birdies for Brookdale’ and raised more than $22,000. 26 two-person teams hit the green for the fundraiser with all proceeds going to the Brookdale Resource Center. Players received a free lunch from Glory Days Grill, and cash prizes for first, second, and third place.
Jack Dean, Head Golf Professional at Bowden Golf Course, was happy with the turnout. “I am so excited we were able to hold the first ever Birdies for Brookdale at our Historic Bowden Golf Course,” Dean says. “It was a great day for the center, and we’re looking forward to making it even bigger next year so we can keep raising money for such a good cause that helps so many people in our community. “
“We are so grateful United Way and Bowden put together this wonderful event to benefit our residents, “ says Brookdale Executive Director Alison Bender. “Brookdale has been, and continues to be, successful in helping people because of the generosity of our community. This money will go a long way to provide clothing, shelter, food, and other needs to our residents.”
The Brookdale Resource Center is always in need of volunteers. If you’d like to join in helping, click here.
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This week, several departments held their annual Holiday luncheons to recognize employees and spread some cheer.
The Recreation Department held its luncheon at South Bibb Recreation Center. Rec employees from all corners of the county came decked out in plaid for games, good food, and awards. Some folks took home prizes like gift cards and candy. Director Robert Walker reminded everyone how much they’re appreciated.
“Every Rec employee is the vital to our mission of building healthy communities through people, parks, and programs,” says Walker. “Especially through the pandemic, this team has really stepped up and worked tirelessly to meet that mission, even through Facebook and Zoom.”
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For more than 20 years now, the Public Works and Engineering Departments have held a joint luncheon for all their combined employees. While they held a drive-thru party in 2020, they were back in person this year with a catered barbecue luncheon out at the Public Works office in West Macon.
Awards were handed out for good attendance, length of employment, and employee of the year. Engineering Director Charles Brooks made a point to thank everyone in both departments for their hard work, often times doing work the public doesn’t realize.
You can view a photo album for the Recreation luncheon here, and the photo album from the Public Works/Engineering luncheon here.
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The three-month intensive program invites community-minded, creative, entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial, tech-curious residents of Macon-Bibb/ Middle Georgia to explore social and economic challenges felt by their community while providing them with access to resources and mentorship.
Thirty selected “Community Champions” will participate in a hybrid virtual/in-person learning community with sessions occurring biweekly through March 2022. Participants will benefit from office hours, workshops, mentorship opportunities, and educational sessions led by innovation experts, Investors, servant leaders, allowing participants to hone in on their unique skills while creating tech -enabled solutions for the community. Click here to read more.
From the Macon Black Tech
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The Hub is Macon-Bibb County's source of information for employees, residents, businesses, and partners. With this regular e-blast, the Office of Communications provides a consistent flow of information about the efforts and successes of the consolidated government and partners to strengthen Macon-Bibb as the Hub City of Middle Georgia.
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The Office of Communications manages Media Relations, MaconBibbTV, Customer Service, social media, visual services, and crisis communications for Macon-Bibb. Its goal is to provide people information about the consolidated government and partner organizations, and to give them the chance to provide feedback, ask questions, and request services.
The Office has earned multiple
recognitions for its efforts.
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Macon-Bibb County is the fourth largest city in Georgia. Created on January 1, 2014 after being approved by the voters, it is Georgia's newest consolidated government and serves about 155,000 residents and thousands more visitors.
Its governing body consists of 10 Commissioners, with the Mayor serving as its Chair and the Chief Executive Office of the administration.
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