Political Notebook: Macon-Bibb committee to get revised street name proposal
A resolution to rename a street will be rewritten before going back to a Macon-Bibb County committee in a few weeks.
The resolution that will be presented Oct. 13 to the county commission’s Facilities and Engineering Committee will propose a “Dr. Walter Glover Jr. Way” sign at each end of Courtland Avenue while keeping the official street name as Courtland. The updated resolution is a way for Macon-Bibb officials to compromise after the resolution to name the street after the longtime pastor drew staunch opposition during a public hearing earlier this month.
The decision to make revision came during a Tuesday committee meeting.
Glover has been the pastor at Greater Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church for the past 40 years. About 40 members of Glover’s church attended the public hearing where several of them spoke about his impact in the community, such as feeding and clothing the poor.
Opponents of the resolution brought up questions about the cost of a name change, and some stated their desire to preserve the Cherokee Heights neighborhood where Courtland has been the name of the street since 1909.
Cherokee Heights is on the National Register of Historic Places for being one of the first planned residential communities in Macon, according to the Historic Macon Foundation.
SHALOM ZONES GET SPONSORSHIP
On Monday, WellCare of Central Georgia will present a sponsorship of $11,380 to Macon-Bibb County’s Shalom Zones to start or add on to community gardens and to host health care initiatives, according to a news release.
The 11 a.m. announcement and check presentation will take place in front of the mayor’s office at the Macon-Bibb County Government Center, 700 Poplar St.
Wellcare will present a check to Shalom Zone coordinators from several neighborhoods.
Following the presentation, representatives from the Shalom Zones will be able to show reporters around their neighborhoods, talking about what improvements have been made, plans for the future and how the sponsorship funds will assist in those efforts.
“Making sure our neighborhoods improve for many years to come takes the engagement and support of the people living there, and through the communities of Shalom, we are providing the skills and resources needed for people to make that happen,” Mayor Robert Reichert said in the release. “Thank you to WellCare of Central Georgia for taking an active role in supporting neighborhood health.”
MACON-BIBB BUDGET MEETING TUESDAY
A special called meeting will be held Tuesday for officials to delve deeper into the latest Macon-Bibb County budget figures.
The budget is the lone agenda item for the county commission’s Operations and Finance Committee meeting at 9 a.m. at the Macon-Bibb County Government Annex Building.
Mayor Robert Reichert reported this week at an abbreviated workshop that the county is about $2.9 million ahead of budget projections after estimating savings from early retirements. He also urged county leaders to remain cautious with spending.
The update, which comes about three months into the fiscal year, provides the latest details as Macon-Bibb finalizes the impact of early retirement incentives taken by 235 employees.
Following that meeting, the Ad Hoc Blight Committee will provide an update after the group selected a blight consultant a couple of weeks ago.
Telegraph writer Stanley Dunlap compiled this report.
This story was originally published September 25, 2015 at 10:21 PM with the headline "Political Notebook: Macon-Bibb committee to get revised street name proposal ."