City of Statesboro Hosts First ‘Emerging Leaders Academy’ Graduation

The City of Statesboro is currently facing a unique opportunity to recruit and retain employees while simultaneously nurturing the growth of existing high-potential employees. In the Spring of 2024, the City’s Human Resources Department presented a plan to City leadership to establish the “Emerging Leaders Academy,” a six-month leadership development program designed to upskill employees for future leadership roles within the organization.  The inaugural employee class met monthly from August 2024 to January 2025. Session topics included: Building a Team Culture, Performance Management Fundamentals, Communication Strategies, Ethics and Compliance, Understanding Municipal Government, and Individual Development Plans.

A graduation ceremony was held for the Emerging Leaders Academy participants on January 17th. The following employees graduated from the inaugural class:

  • Jared Akins – Police
  • Matt Aycock – Public Utilities
  • Nick Boggs – Public Utilities
  • Krista Cooper – Finance
  • Tim Grams – Fire
  • Glenn Green – Public Utilities
  • Robbie Jordan – Planning & Development
  • Richard Marshall – Public Works & Engineering
  • Marty McClain – Central Services
  • David Moyer – Public Works & Engineering
  • Darrell Perkins – Public Utilities
  • Spencer Rowe – Fire
  • Andrew Samples – Police
  • Richard Smiley – Public Works & Engineering
  • Justin Taylor – Fire
  • Marcos Trejo – Public Works & Engineering
  • Justin Williams – Planning & Development

The City of Statesboro applauds the inaugural Emerging Leaders Academy graduates’ commitment to continued learning and advancement.

 

City Council Approves Funds for Whitesville Park Overhaul

Rendering of Whitesville Park

During the December 17th Council meeting, the City Council voted to award a contract to Lavender & Associates for renovations to Whitesville Park. Previously a privately owned property operated by volunteers, Whitesville Park was closed to the public indefinitely in 2016 due to decaying infrastructure, vandalism, and other maintenance challenges. Volunteers from the Whitesville Community Resource and Development Organization Inc. had been in talks with the city to take over the park’s management for several years. The land was officially deeded to the City in April 2022. Since then, City staff have been working to identify grant funding opportunities and solicit bids for the project.

After multiple grant applications to the Department of Community Affairs were denied, the City designated 1.2M dollars from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay for the park renovation. Work is expected to start in late Spring 2025, with an anticipated completion date of Fall 2025. The property currently has a restroom, swingset, and basketball court on the site. After the renovation project, the park will feature a new restroom facility, basketball court, playground, and pavilion.

City of Brooklet Hosts Groundbreaking for $5 Million Sewer Project

picture of elected officials at the groundbreaking

On Thursday, January 9th, Mayor Jonathan McCollar had the pleasure of speaking at the City of Brooklet’s groundbreaking ceremony for its “Brooklet to Statesboro Sewer Forcemain Project.” The ceremony featured remarks from local and state elected officials, including Brooklet Mayor Nicky Gwinnett, Bulloch County Board of Commissioners Chairman David Bennett, GA Senator Billy Hickman, GA Representative Lehman Franklin, and Former GA Representative Jan Tankersley.

The much-anticipated $5 million sewer project will overhaul the community’s infrastructure and ensure reliable wastewater service for its residents and businesses. Currently, residents and businesses in Brooklet operate on individual septic systems, which have pushed the limits of the local septic field capacity. The new sewer system will accommodate the city’s current sewer needs with the capacity to handle expected growth in the community over the next decade.

The City of Brooklet will be tying into the City of Statesboro’s existing sewer infrastructure located to its north with Brooklet funding the extension of infrastructure into its city limits. The City of Brooklet has contracted Parker Engineering of Statesboro to manage the project and has awarded bids to Y-Delta Inc. and Shockley Plumbing for the installation of the sewer infrastructure. The project is anticipated to take around 12 months to complete.