Warner Robins city council approves graveyard relocation to Magnolia Park Cemetery

WARNER ROBINS — A cemetery is being relocated and the recreation department is hoping to recruit lifeguards, according to discussions at the Warner Robins council meeting on Monday.

Lifeguard recruitment & retention

A pay increase for city lifeguards was discussed. Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services director Preston Pooser said the city faces a shortage and must compete with Rigby’s Entertainment Complex and the Tommy Stalnaker Aquatic Center, causing Memorial Park pool to close.

To open both pools, the city needs 24 lifeguards and possible facility renovations, Pooser said.

Pooser proposed raising lifeguard pay from $15 to $20 per hour with a $1,000 retention bonus, following other cities’ examples. His goal is to keep Fountain Park’s pool open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and on Saturdays.

Pooser shared his experience from a previous city: “We had two pools and we couldn’t keep both of them open; we had to alternate. Once we raised the pay and offered the retention bonus, we were fine. We kept two pools open for the whole summer,” he said.

Drawing on his experience, Pooser described lifeguards as first responders who provide emergency care before firefighters and EMTs arrive. This year, Warner Robins lifeguards will train with the city’s fire department to better assist with medical calls, he said.

“In college, I was one of the first to get to a cardiac arrest, and I can assure you that four or five minutes is an eternity waiting to hear those sirens. I’d like to treat them like the first responders they are. Raise the pay so we can be competitive locally,” he said.

Pooser requested the pay increase be applied to Warner Robins’ upcoming budget year.

Moving a burial ground

Council approved relocating a historic graveyard. City attorney Julia Mize said the city received an application to move the McCoy-Mathews-Ryals burial ground on Russell Parkway and Houston Lake Road to Magnolia Park Cemetery.

At the public hearing, Rob Tuggle, representing the applicant, said all required steps for the project, including completion of the land-use survey, mitigation plan, and approval from next of kin, are finished. An archaeologist and a funeral home will oversee the relocation.

Responding to Mayor LaRhonda Patrick, Tuggle said the 136-year-old graveyard will be excavated in thin layers of soil to find remains, then exhumed.

All relocated graves from McCoy-Mathews-Ryals will be buried together at Magnolia Park Cemetery.

New trees along Russell Parkway

Finally, Warner Robins will replace a fence that has gone to seed as part of a beautification project.

Council approved a purchase in the consent agenda to plant trees along Russell Parkway and Coleman Boulevard.

Keep Warner Robins Beautiful director Tiffany Bowen said 30 tulip poplars and 30 golden ginkgos will replace an old fence, costing about $58,000 from a Georgia Forestry Commission grant.

Bowen said the selected species include the city’s official tree and male-only plants that do not produce fruit. She also noted a possible reduction in safety hazards for drivers.

“Those trees as they grow will visually shrink the corridor without actually shrinking the corridor. Studies have shown that as trees do that, that allows motorists to think, ‘Hey, I should slow down a little bit and do the actual speed limit,’” she said.

Councilman Charlie Bibb thanked the city for listening to his concern about beautifying the area. City administrator James Drinkard added the tree planting was Public Works director Craig Clifton’s idea.

Bibb said, “Thank you for hearing my cries on that fence, jumping on that and taking care of it, and not only taking care of that chain link fence, but going another step above and organizing other people involved in this and actually beautifying that area down here, so it turns away from an eyesore to looking something beautiful.”

To view the meeting’s agenda and supporting documents, visit the city’s website.

A full look at the meeting can be found on the city’s Facebook page.

The next Warner Robins City Council Meeting will take place Monday, March 16, 4:30 p.m., at Warner Robins City Hall, 700 Watson Boulevard.