>> BALDWIN COUNTY
Baldwin County will receive $4.9 million in grant funds for improvements in the Oconee Heights community, officials announced this past Tuesday.
County Commission Chairperson Emily Davis welcomed those attending a press conference at the Wesley Chapel AME church and announced a grant was awarded to Baldwin County for various improvements, including the installation of 300 new solar-powered lighting fixtures, street resurfacing, multi-use paths, and bridge repairs in that area on the south side of the county.
“It’s going to include streetlights, which have been a big thing for this area over here,” Davis said at the conference. “We have been requesting streetlights, and that’s something the county stopped doing in the late ’80s and early ’90s.”
U.S. Senators Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff stated in a press release that the grant was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and re-referred to the project as the Oconee Heights Streetscape and Safety Improvements Project.
“I believe rural Georgia is the lifeblood of our state, and I will continue fighting for federal investments in every corner of the state to help strengthen community connectivity,”Warnock said in the press release.“This grant for Baldwin County was made possible by theBipartisan Infrastructure Law, which continues to exemplify the good we can achieve when we focus on the people in policymaking.”
“I am pleased to announce that through the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Baldwin County Oconee streetscape project will get a major boost,”added Ossoff.“It has been a pleasure working with Chairwoman Davies and Baldwin County leadership to get this done. This project will upgrade quality of life for Baldwin County residents.”
Baldwin County manager Carlos Tabor thanked the senators for their gracious efforts to help with the sustainability of Baldwin County.
“This is the rebuilding of America’s infrastructure with sustainability and equity grants,” Tobar said, adding that being in the chapel had a special meaning for him. “This is where the planning process started.”
Tobar said neighborhood residents met for about three years on the endeavor and that the final concept was the result of volunteer assistance from outside the county.
“This was the brainchild of some University of Georgia students who came here and met with the community early last year,” Tobar said. “We’ve been meeting for a few years now, trying to develop this community, listening to this community, and this is the culmination of the planning that occurred, the community involvement from the people you see here, standing next to us.”
County Commissioner Kendrick Butts was present and said he appreciated the community residents for the acceptance of those working on the project.
“We stated we would try to build our community back from the ground up. I hope this is the beginning and the springboard for other neighborhoods in Baldwin County,” Butts said.
Davis said the efforts and resulting grant are “awesome”.
“I hope the community will appreciate what’s going to happen over here, take care of their community a little bit better, and just kind of calm down, settle down and be appreciative of everything that’s going on,” Davis said.
According to Tobar, the funding is through the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) and the grant process is cumbersome, with a large number of preliminary matters required before work actually starts.
“Nothing new under the sun as far as the process, but it is a lengthy process. I would expect the project, worst-case scenario, to be done in 2025,” Tobar said. “But obviously, we will move as fast as DOT will allow us.”
Tobar also said Baldwin County was one of only three entities in Georgia funded this year through this program.
“It’s highly competitive,” Tobar said. “This is only the third one I have gotten over my career, which spans over 35 years.”
Also present for the announcement ceremony were Baldwin County Fire Chief Victor Young, Rev. Donald Hill, and local NAACP President Cynthia Edwards-Ward.