Commissioners learn more about Georgia Air National Guard, table application 

PERRY — At their latest meeting on Feb. 4, the Houston County Commissioners heard from CMSgt. Ronnie Stevens and the Houston County University of Georgia Extension Office. 

Stevens is the 116th Operations Group’s senior enlisted leader, a part of the Georgia Air National Guard. Stevens said he has been in Houston County for 24 years. 

“This is home and it feels like home sometimes,” he said. 

Stevens started his service in Sept. 2001, which he said was a very interesting time to join the Air Force.

“I basically started right in the middle of a war. I deployed a dozen times to the Middle East and did a couple more to the Pacific Theater,” he said. “ I started my career as a radar technician in the 116th Air Controlling as a maintainer and then in 2009 I made the swap to fly on the EAT Joint Stars.” 

Stevens then shared what the 116th Operations Group provides. He said they are very unique, and unlike most Operations Groups, the 116th has four missions. 

These missions Stevens highlighted include command and control, remotely piloted aircraft integration missions, crypto intelligence and cyber operations warfare unit. 

“It’s about 603 airmen and civilians providing a federal mission to the state of Georgia,” he said.  

While being a part of the Georgia Air National Guard, Stevens pointed out that they belong to the state of Georgia. He said his boss is not the President of the United States but the Governor of Georgia. 

“That’s what makes us unique and really valuable because we are homegrown and support the citizens of Houston County and the state of Georgia,” he said. 

Stevens also gave a few data points about the National Guard and Air National Guards’ response to Hurricane Helene in the state of Georgia. 

“We provided 102 missions from GEMA across 34 counties. There were over 1000 miles of roads cleared, we had 52 points of distribution, 102 supply trailers giving 122,000 cases of water, 86,000 cases of meals ready to eat, 153,000 bags of ice, 73,000 tarps and over 7,500 hygiene kits delivered to the citizens of Georgia,” he said. “When the county calls for us the Georgia Guard will be there.”

Commissioners then shared their gratitude towards Stevens. 

“We want you to feel like this is home and we would love for you to stay here, so thank you for that and thank you for your service and your efforts,” Commissioner Tal Talton said. “You love this country, you clearly love this community, we love y’all and we’re so grateful and thankful to be a part of a community that can highlight and celebrate what y’all do,” Commissioner Shane Gottwals said. 

Commissioners also heard an update from the Houston County UGA Extension Office, led by County Extension Coordinator Brandi McGonagill. 

“We focused a lot on beef cattle production this year, so we did a lot of bull soundness exams, nutrition workshops, AI clinics and different things to help our producers make more money and be more efficient in their beef cattle,” she said. “We had a seven-week grassmasters class that focused just on forage where our producers can come over and take classes and learn more about their grass, hay or anything that would be used on their production.” 

This year, McGonagill wanted to focus on meat science. She said they met with the Georgia Department of Agriculture and will be doing three meat science workshops in March.  

She also mentioned the extension office did a lot of equine workshops and hosted a livestock emergency management preparedness class.

“We did a lot of workshops on nutrition, reproduction, healthcare, hoof care and pretty much anything that you can think of,” she said. 

The extension office also gave updates about their row crop production, expanded food nutrition program and the Houston County 4-H program. 

“Thank you for all of the work you do, everything from consulting with farmers on their row crop to youth shooting sports,” Chairman Dan Perdue said. “It’s amazing all of the elements of life that extension touches.” 

In new business, the Board approved various special exception applications and tabled a few. One application tabled in particular, a construction business by James Pierce, was originally recommended to be denied. 

Pierce said there was a complete misunderstanding of what he was trying to do. He said he’s a licensed general contractor and is registered by the secretary of State and that all he does right now is commercial construction. 

“In the world we live in, you don’t really need a brick and mortar to run a construction business. I primarily run my construction business off my phone off of my laptop in my truck, however, you need a brick and mortar address to get a business license, which is what I’m trying to do,” he said. 

Pierce said there was concern about construction equipment being stored at the house and the number of vehicles at his house as well. He claimed his equipment is stored at his cattle farm in Dooly County and said the vehicles are his sons’ and are not company vehicles.

“Some of the neighbors thought we were trying to rezone our house as a fully operational construction staging area,” he said. 

Pierce called for the Board to override the recommendation, while his neighbor spoke on behalf of his application. 

“The reason he is looking to get the license through his address, which carries a Warner Robins office, is so that he can bid on contracts within the city of Warner Robins,” the neighbor said. “I live right next door and I have not seen construction equipment in his yard.”

A few more neighbors spoke on behalf of the application with a couple speaking against it. One citizen said she didn’t think a construction company in the neighborhood was a good idea. 

“We have laws, and zoning laws and [restrictive] covenants for a reason, and I’ve never seen the house like it was described but I’ll be looking for it now,” the citizen said. 

The Board voted to table Pierce’s application. 

In other new business, the Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Reclaiming Ground Inc., of Warner Robins for educational services within the school system on the danger of opioids. 

The next County Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 200 Carl Vinson Parkway. To see the full agenda, go to www.houstoncountyga.gov/minutes/2025-02-04