September 1, 2023 * Issue 343 | |
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On Tuesday, August 29, in Cotton Avenue Plaza, Macon Mental Health Matters (MMHM) announced a new series of events as part of the MMHM Wellness Weekends, as well as its new website and logo. You can watch the full press conference here.
“I am so proud of what this initiative has become, and it’s thanks to the wonderful people who are dedicated to making sure mental health matters,” said Mayor Lester Miller. “We’re excited to see how they continue to expand and try to reach more people in our community.”
Mayor Miller and MMHM Coordinator Andrea Cooke announced the expansion of the monthly Mental Health Pop-Up Gyms to become Wellness Weekends. Instead of the opportunity for free mental health services happening just one day a month, they will extend to every second Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of every month. The first Wellness Weekend begins Friday, September 8, with Yoga in the Plaza at the newly constructed Cotton Avenue Plaza starting at 7:00 p.m.
“When we designed this space, it was with the intentionality to make it about peace and respite; that’s why you see it’s surrounded by trees and far slower traffic,” said Urban Development Authority Executive Director Alex Morrison. “That’s why we’re excited that Yoga in the Plaza is the first regularly scheduled event happening in this space.”
The next day – Saturday, September 9 – from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., the Pop-Up Gym will return to Memorial Park (2465 2nd Street), rain or shine, with drum circles, therapy, yoga, and fresh produce from the Napier Heights Food Co-Op.
The Wellness Weekend will end with a Healing Hike on Sunday, September 10, at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park (1207 Emery Hwy) at 8:00 a.m. You’ll get the opportunity to walk at your own pace with friends and mental health professionals, while taking in the beauty of nature.
“We wanted to create more opportunities for people to get the free mental health services they deserve,” said Cooke. “While each day will have different activities, there will also be licensed therapists at every event to provide the help needed. We hope people take advantage of our Wellness Weekends and use the resources we’re providing because mental health matters.”
You can find more information on the newly designed MMHM website, www.MaconMentalHealthMatters.com. It features the new MMHM logo, which was designed by students in Mercer University’s Advanced Design Class. You can also follow MMHM on Facebook for more updates.
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Macon-Bibb County Government Offices, Recreation Centers, and Courts will be closed on Monday, September 4, 2023, in observance of the Labor Day Holiday. Emergency services such as the Sheriff’s Office, E-911, and Fire Department will remain operational.
All three Convenience Centers will be open throughout the weekend. The 11th Street Center will be closed on Monday, September 4. The 11th Street Center will resume its regular business hours on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The other two will resume regular hours on Thursday, September 7, from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Saturday, September 9 from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Click here to see full hours for all three convenience centers.
All trash and yard waste pickup services will shift one day that week. If your normal pickup day is Monday, it will move to Tuesday and so on.
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Join our Class One Fire Department | |
Our Class One Macon-Bibb County Fire Department wants to expand its family by taking more recruits. They are hiring and want you!
The Fire Private-Recruit trains in fire suppression, combating, extinguishing, and preventing fires, answering emergency calls, and in routine maintenance of department equipment, apparatus and quarters. Training involves participation in duties of protecting life and property through the performance of firefighting and rescue activities.
Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
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The Macon-Bibb Law Enforcement Foundation will hold its 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Monday, September 11, 2023, at 8:45 a.m. in Public Safety Memorial Park (at the intersection of Mulberry and Second Streets) in Downtown Macon. The annual event is aimed to remember the lives lost and honor first responders who saved lives in the 2001 terrorist attacks. The full ceremony will be live streamed on www.Facebook.com/MaconBibbCounty.
“It’s important for us to remember those who lost their lives in this terrible attack on our country. We also want to recognize those in public safety who continue to serve and protect our community,” says Warren Selby with the Foundation. “This ceremony allows us to take a moment each year to honor and remember.”
There will be a Presentation of Colors by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and Macon-Bibb County Fire Department Honor Guard. Roses will be placed on the Memorial by representatives from the Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office as a symbol that Macon-Bibb will never forget the sacrifice made by these individuals in service to the community.
A wreath will be placed at the Memorial to remember those that lost their life on 9/11 and to honor all men and women in public safety, and bagpiper James R. Finley will play “Amazing Grace.” Weather permitting, the Georgia State Patrol (GSP) Aviation Division will fly over the park.
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Applications now open for government program for students |  | |
Macon-Bibb County’s Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students (GCAPS) is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year. The immersive program teaches young people about government operations in our community and state. Students will attend a monthly session where they’ll take trips, meet local and state leaders and elected officials, and learn how to conduct themselves in a professional environment. The deadline to apply is 5:00 p.m. on September 15, 2023.
All Macon-Bibb 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students are eligible to apply, regardless of where they go to school. To apply, students need to fill out the application, answer a few questions about their experiences in school and their personal lives, and then have an interview with one of the program leaders.
“We’re excited to get this program started once again,” says Dr. Henry Ficklin, Executive Director of Community Affairs. “These smart young people are given a lot of hands-on experiences and field trips, even a visit to the State Capitol to learn about the Georgia General Assembly. Many students who have gone through this program have gone on to major in some sort of government career when they go on to college.”
About GCAPS
The Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students (GCAPS) is conducted by Macon-Bibb County under the auspices of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG). ACCG is a nonprofit instrumentality of Georgia’s county governments. Formed in 1914 with 19 charter county members, today ACCG serves as the consensus building, training, and legislative organization for all 159 county governments in the state.
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Our Recreation Department is hosting a mentoring and brotherhood program for young men at several recreation centers throughout Macon-Bibb County starting September 5.
The program is free and available for all boys ages 7 – 17 at the Frank Johnson, South Bibb, Kings Park, Memorial Park, Delores A. Brooks, Theron Ussery, Bloomfield-Gilead, L.H. Williams, and Rosa Jackson Centers. Boys will be able to learn about setting goals, community service, physical and mental training, financial literacy, outdoor skills, and communications skills. If you would like to sign up, you can do so by visiting rec.maconbibb.us.
“We want to provide a safe space for young men in our community to learn and grow,” said Coordinator Ja'Cory Bazell. “This program will give our youth a place and person to turn to when they’re facing obstacles or curious about different topics. We want to give our young men a better chance to succeed and thrive in any and every endeavor they pursue.”
Throughout the year, young men will participate in a series of activities that are thoughtfully curated to address topics that are not frequently discussed in the school system or during athletic practices. The program incorporates a variety of interactive sessions, including 1-on-1 talks and group chats, followed by hands-on activities related to each week’s topic. Boys will also be able to go on trips such as camping adventures to foster teamwork and resilience, community service events to encourage giving back to the community, workouts to promote physical fitness and health, and trips to explore and learn about various industries and professions.
The program is funded with a grant by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). The Recreation Department will receive $70,000 over the course of 2 years.
The Recreation Department is also looking for mentors. If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a mentor, contact JaCory Bazell at jbazell@maconbibb.us.
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EMA to hold Emergency Preparedness Fair | Be weather ready! Mayor Lester Miller wants YOU to be prepared in case of an emergency. Come to the Emergency Preparedness Fair on September 23 from 11:00 - 2:30 PM at the Elaine H. Lucas Senior Center (132 Willie Smokie Glover Drive) where you can get information and safety material from over a dozen local agencies. | |
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From NewTown Macon - With funding from Wells Fargo, and in partnership with the Macon-Middle Georgia Black Pages, NewTown Macon just completed the fourth round of the Downtown Diversity Initiative. Today, NewTown Macon and the Macon-Middle Georgia Black Pages announced the winners of the 2023 Downtown Diversity Initiative at Churchills on Cherry.
“NewTown and Macon-Middle Georgia Black Pages partnered to develop this program as a way to create a more inclusive urban core,” said Alex Habersham, publisher of the Macon-Middle Georgia Black Pages. “These initiatives continue to generate progress in providing resources, training, and incentives which will result in more African American businesses establishing successful locations downtown.”
The Downtown Diversity Initiative is a 6-session business training program designed to attract more African American business owners and customers to Macon’s urban core. Through group learning and presentations by local industry experts, participants developed an informed and complete business canvas and set of financial projections. The program curriculum focused on helping entrepreneurs develop their value proposition, target customer, customer success delivery, financial reports, and sustainable business funding and wealth-building strategies.
“Downtown Macon can be the catalyst for disrupting the racial wealth gap in Macon and building a more prosperous community,” said Lauren Marshall, Vice President for Community Development. “By supporting Black entrepreneurs through programs and partnerships like the Downtown Diversity Initiative, we are creating more pathways for Maconites to become business owners and build wealth for themselves and their families.”
Increasing the number of businesses owned by African Americans is a goal in NewTown’s current strategic plan, which launched July 1, 2022. By 2027, NewTown aims to increase the proportion of Black-owned businesses from 18% to 30% and the net number from 28 to 53. Through efforts like the Downtown Diversity Initiative, NewTown is close to achieving those goals –currently, there are 47 Black-owned businesses and 26% of downtown businesses are Black-owned.
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Photos from Historic Macon Foundation | |
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From Historic Macon Foundation by Oby Brown - The D.T. Walton Building, the former office of one of Macon’s leading dentists and civil rights activists, was added to the Historic Macon Foundations’s 2023 Fading Five list on Thursday.
The preservation nonprofit also removed from the list of threatened historic sites the Bobby Jones Performing Arts Center, located at 1389 Jefferson St. It was the longest-listed Fading Five site, making the list initially in 2016.
Nathan Lott, Historic Macon’s executive director, made the announcements from the former arts center, located across the street from the Booker T. Washington Community Center in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood.
“All of the sites on this year’s list are important to the Macon community in their own right, and we’re dedicated to saving them with help from our partners and our supporters,” Lott said. “We are grateful for everyone who believes in our mission and stands with us.”
Historic Macon sifts through nominations each year to craft its Macon’s Fading Five list. 2023 marks the ninth year of the program, which calls attention to historic sites across Macon-Bibb County that could be lost due to development or neglect.
Since the launch of the Fading Five program in 2015, Historic Macon has put 18 properties on the list. To date, 13 of them have been saved and protected — 72 percent — while just one has been lost.
Tonja Khabir, who bought the Bobby Jones center almost a year ago, said her plans to create Jones Cafe at the site are well under way.
Applications for both state and federal historic tax credits to help with the project, coordinated by Historic Macon’s Matt Chalfa, are in the pipeline, as is financing for renovations. Plans call for two new apartments in the building, as well as a co-working area and meeting space.
A new roof, new windows, new flooring and new HVAC systems will be installed, as well as new electrical and plumbing systems.
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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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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
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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