Eggs & Issues highlights efforts of WR staff, LEOs, mayor

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — As Warner Robins Mayor LaRhonda Patrick wrapped up her first 90 days in the position, she and other city officials were featured as guest speakers at last Thursday’s Eggs & Issues meeting, hosted by Robins Regional Chamber. Patrick began the meeting addressing two pressing topics as they pertain to the city.

“One thing is going to be the IRS lien; we’ve all heard about it, and we’re still dealing with it,” Patrick said. “The IRS is still going through that process to find out what we need to do to close that loophole.

“So, they have had it reduced [by] about half based on money that they’ve already paid and money that was overlooked that was paid. So we have about half of it reduced, and we’re working to get the other ones rectified to find out exactly what we owe, so we can close that terrible chapter and continue with this great new chapter we’ve already begun.”

She went on to speak about the city administrator position and the city’s charter change to add that position to the payroll a couple of years ago.

“The city administrator that was in position when I got there is no longer with the city,” she said. “That’s what made news; that’s what made the headlines.

“But we are going to be looking for a very strong candidate to be our city administrator for the rest of my administration, and we have initiated the Middle Georgia Regional Commission to help us find a very great candidate — even [a] nationwide search.”

She continued, speaking on community involvement initiatives and veterans relations.

“For those of you who don’t know — the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is coming, and it’s been a subject of conversation for 14 years or so,” Patrick said. “So, what happened during my first 90 days was we were successful in having a board to seek actual Vietnam veterans to determine what our memorial is going to look like, where it’s going to be and they’ll be working in conjunction with the Convention and Visitors Bureau because they will be housed in the same place.”

In addition to this, she mentioned a Local Business Owners Board.

“The Local Business Owners Board I’m going to mention specifically because many of you all are business owners who contribute to our economy, and we’re so grateful to have you here in the city of Warner Robins,” she added. “But many of you live outside the city limits, so I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from our business community stating: ‘We feel like we don’t have a voice because we don’t live here.’ But now you do because this board exists with you in mind.”

If you live outside the city limits but own a business within the city, you have an opportunity to serve on this board, she added.

This meeting offered the first chance for Montie Walters, director of city utilities, to speak on current happenings within his department. The city just received an $11 million grant from the state and local recovery fund, and he discussed how that money would affect infrastructure efforts.

“We do provide sewer [services] — 3 billion gallons a year contributed to sewer,” Walters said. “We also provide 3 billion gallons of water; 250 million of that goes to Centerville, and 50 million goes to Byron and the rest is Houston County, Peach County and Warner Robins.”

He said back in around 2007, the city ran sewer services to a Bonaire intersection to give the nearby residents some septic tank relief. Bonaire Middle School was also being built at the time, calling for improvements.

“You see what’s happening in Bonaire and that area, so those lines are at capacity; that’s one of the projects that we’re doing,” he said.

Staff is upgrading the 12-inch lines to 15, 18 and 36-inch versions, Walters said. Lines near Veterans High School are at capacity, and city staff placed the lines for Hilltop Elementary when it was built. County staff is planning the construction of a new water tower to assist Peach County growth, and that should be completed by some time in December.

Kate Hogan — community and economic development director for Warner Robins — explained the purpose of the Engage Warner Robins committee and their proposed development strategies for the city.

“Mayor and council, back in August, decided that they were going to dissolve the redevelopment agency and develop an authority of Warner Robins in order to facilitate a more organizationally efficient development authority with Engage Warner Robins,” Hogan said.

She said that while Engage Warner Robins is the primary development authority, it also works in lock step with the Downtown Development Authority to continue seeking out systemic solutions. Partnerships also exist between Engage and the Peach County Development Authority, primarily in regards to industrial development. The Houston County Development Authority also works hand-in-hand with Engage.

“So, it’s truly just another level of organizational efficiency, while also prioritizing financial responsibility,” she said.

Warner Robins and its central location offers a unique market for economic development in terms of housing and retail opportunities, Hogan added.

“We have such a strong housing market with about 500 single-family permits we expect for 2020 and also a 47% increase in multi-family by the end of 2025,” Hogan said. “So, we currently have 7,700 multi-family units within the city of Warner Robins, and then we have an additional 3,300 units in the pipeline.”

Crystal Noll, athletic leader, said that over the last several years, the city has seen 13 or 14 enhancements in recreation and leisure, especially with the North Houston Sports Complex and here soon with Ted Wright Park.

“As many of you know, we are currently renovating Ted Wright Park over on Moody Road,” Noll said. “That one is going to be a complete change from what is was before.”

Mayor Patrick said the park will be all-access, featuring an amphitheatre and pickleball courts, among other amenities.

A greenway trail also has the focus of her department currently, which will connect the majority of the city’s parks with a walking or biking trail.

“It’s a really great way to encourage people to get out and move, to get out and play and to open up our community in places that they may not in the past have had access to due to being able to get there, transportation issues or even the fact that some of them don’t have some of the parks close,” Noll said.

Warner Robins features a “world-class” 50-acre training center for its public safety personnel serving the fire department, according to Fire Chief Ross Moulton.

“We have world-class people that work for the fire department, and they really are great at what they do,” Moulton said. “We have a tradition that’s excellent. We have a real focus on being aggressive in the pursuit of education and training, and so now we have a facility that really matches what we’ve needed for a long time here in Warner Robins.”

He said the department saw its last ISO (Insurance Services Office) classification back in 2016, but they are due for another chance to lower their score come December.

“I think there’s about 46-47,000 fire departments in the U.S. so Warner Robins is in the top 1,000 — or the top 3% — of those fire departments nationwide,” he said. “So, you do have great fire service here in the city, and of course as the city grows [with] annexations, so must the service.”

The department is planning to build another fire station on the side of town closest to Fort Valley.

John Wagner, chief of police, said in his experience, his position has not been a traditional one in the slightest considering the pandemic and other challenges that arose during his tenure.

“We do have a wonderful police department; it’s a very progressive and innovative police department,” Wagner said. “We are a certified police department, which means we set our levels and priorities very high.”

Warner Robins features a certified police lab, one of three in the state along with Valdosta and the GBI. Also, a main priority of the department is hiring competent individuals with community service in mind.

“That is a priority of mine — of course knowing a priority of any police officer or police chief is to reduce crime, and we will continue to do such,” he said. “We have programs to do such, and we have tremendous men and women at the police department to do such.”

He said continuing to embrace technology will keep the department ahead of the curve while hiring personnel continues to be a challenge. Tuition reimbursement, top-notch training, a take-home vehicle and other amenities encourage the current officers to nurture a career with the department.

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