Houston County leaders mull future growth in region plan
WARNER ROBINS -- Houston County officials gathered Wednesday to try to see 20 years into the future.
About a dozen people, mostly local leaders, gathered to give input into the Middle Georgia Regional Commission's 20-year plan.
The commission is required to update the plan every five years, which is what it is doing now. The purpose of the plan is to identify areas of potential growth, issues and how those issues can be overcome.
The plan is used to guide the commission's projects and actions.
"This is something that is meant to be proactive, to determine our own fate as a region, rather than just letting whatever happens happen to us," said Greg Boike, the commission's senior government service specialist.
Part of the plan is developing a vision of what the region should look like in the future, and Boike read a statement developed to express that. Boike summed up the lengthy statement this way: "We want Middle Georgia to be a diverse region of opportunity, where people want to live, work and play."
The commission is holding meetings in every county in the region to discuss the plan. Meetings have already been held in Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Jones, Peach and Wilkinson counties. The remaining counties have meetings coming up, including a second one in Houston. The other counties with meeting dates set are Monroe, Pulaski, Putnam and Twiggs. For dates, times and locations of those meetings, check the commission's website at www.middlegeorgiarc.org. The site also has a survey that residents can fill out that will be used in developing the plan.
A regional public hearing on the plan is set for Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. at the Regional Commission's office at 175 Emery Highway, Suite C, in Macon. At that meeting, commission staff hope to have a draft of the revised plan to present to the public.
Wednesday, Boike showed color-coded maps of Houston that pointed to where growth is expected to occur in the county. Not surprisingly, it showed growth happening in the northern part of the county but not in the southern portion.
Robbie Dunbar, Houston County's operations director, said he thinks growth in south Houston likely won't happen without expansion of sewer services.
"I believe that the city of Warner Robins' and the city of Perry's sanitary sewer system is going to drive development, and Centerville's as well," he said.
To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.
This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Houston County leaders mull future growth in region plan ."