Sylvester poised for growth, industry development

SYLVESTER – Karen Rackley said that for each negative a person presents about Sylvester, she can present 99 positives.

The Sylvester-Worth Chamber of Commerce President and Economic Development Authority executive director said Worth County as a whole has experienced an influx of growth in the last five or so years. New businesses in downtown Sylvester, a new state patrol office along U.S. Highway 82, the arrival of AAA, a slew of new restaurants, and the expansion of the Sylvester Municipal Airport are just some of the developments the county has seen.

Rackley said the city and county are poised for more because of strategic growth plans.

Worth is a southwest Georgia county, neighboring Dougherty to the east. Rackley said it’s one of the state’s largest counties in land size but struggles with a small tax base. The county’s population was about 20,000, according to the 2022 U.S. Census Bureau.

Southwest Georgia is a region noted for its population decline and struggling socioeconomic status in recent years. The Albany Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Baker, Dougherty, Lee, Terrell and Worth Counties, has experienced a 5.6% population drop since 2010.

However, Jay Crowe, the Worth County Economic Development Commission chairman, said Worth County was insulated from this issue and has been on a steady upward trajectory. He chalks it up to the quality of life offered in the county. Crowe said there are well-paying jobs, ample opportunities for recreation and solid leadership.

“The last few years, we’ve started to see a spike,” he said. “We have folks coming from all over the place to work here, go to school here and live here in Worth County.”

County offers quality of life and room for industry

Worth County School District Superintendent Nehemiah Cummings said county schools tested above state standards and saw an 8% increase in the county’s high school graduation rate in 2023. The rate is now above 90% for the first time in more than a decade, which is 7% above the state average.

Worth County High School is a College and Career Academy, meaning it’s especially designed to prepare students to enter the work force through partnerships with technical colleges and local internship experiences.

“We’re placing young adults out there who have a high school diploma and who are qualified and ready to work, hopefully right here in our backyard,” Cummings said.

There are school resource officers in each school, and Cummings said the district just secured a $250,000 grant from the Georgia Department of Education for even more security measures.

“It’s a big deal,” he said. “Security is paramount in schools.”

The county’s hospital, Phoebe Worth Medical Center, also has seen recent development.

Kim Gilman, the hospital’s CEO, said the Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program (HEART), which passed in the state legislature in 2017, allowed the hospital to make improvements. The program allows taxpayers to choose for a portion of their tax money to go to a rural hospital of their choosing.

Gilman said Phoebe Worth received $3.9 million in donations through it. The hospital now has improved equipment and renovated facilities such as the $1.8 million renovation to the emergency room.

Construction on the Sylvester Municipal Airport began in June. Sylvester Mayor Harold Proctor said the $1.2 million project will add hangars, a new terminal and parking among other amenities to the airport.

There also lies industry potential within the county.

The county has two industrial complexes. The Worth Industrial Complex East is a 196-acre Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development-certified select site. Rackley said it is pad-ready for industry. It’s 100% owned by the Worth County EDC.

“That gives us the opportunity to compete because industries today want to buy property,” she said. “You bring us the jobs, bring us the industry, I can give you the property. And it’s not costing our tax base anything.”

One challenge the county faces is proving its work force capabilities to industries. However, Crowe said the county sits within a 30-mile radius of metro areas like Tifton and Albany and is linked by Highway 82.

Rackley said the county welcomes large industries but is also looking to smaller manufacturers to fill the industrial space – companies that would create 25-50 new jobs and have higher wages.

“Those are the types of jobs you want in your community that can give folks a living wage,” she said. “We want things that are significant and make a community impact.”

With more industry comes a need for housing

Housing is an issue across the country, and with growth comes a bigger need. Rackley said Worth County is well-positioned in this area. Sylvester was established as a Georgia Initiative for Community Housing community in 2007.

Glenice Stephens, Sylvester’s community development director, said when developers apply for the low interest housing tax credit to develop affordable housing, they seek out GICH communities.

Stephens said funding from the Department of Community Affairs was secured, and a 44-unit apartment complex development project will be underway by mid-May thanks to the GICH designation and city leadership.

Stephens said the city also was picked for the Distressed Cities and Persistent Poverty Technical Assistance program last year. The program is geared toward rural communities with a population of 50,000 or less. It helps them find grants and other funding sources to assist housing needs.

“We have a lot of people that own property that may be salvageable, but they don’t have the money to bring the homes up to code,” she said.

Stephens said she hopes the city will receive grants through this program to assist these homeowners. The city also is amending zoning ordinances that will allow loft dwellings downtown, she said.

Sixteen apartments also will come downtown in a renovated department store.

Stephens said a private developer took advantage of amended zoning ordinances and purchased a downtown building to flip into apartments. The bottom floor will be used for commercial space, as is required downtown.

This isn’t the only development Sylvester is seeing downtown.

Downtown Growth

If you drive through Sylvester’s downtown, you’ll see a number of colorful, updated storefronts. You’ll also see vacant buildings, but most are purchased and have future plans in store.

Sylvester’s downtown is a major part of its growth.

Karen Singletary, Sylvester’s main street manager, filled 25 downtown storefronts in the 6 1/2 years she’s held the position.

She said introducing events downtown at the revamped Train Depot brought people into the downtown and got them interested in purchasing space there. Singletary has brought concerts, sip and strolls, movie nights, scavenger hunts and more.

People attend events, shop downtown and eat at local restaurants. The newest addition is The Palace Restaurant & Bar, which had its grand opening in December.

Singletary said she has seen a lifestyle change since Sylvester’s downtown has grown.

“You see people walking,” she said. “We have a night life now. You can actually go downtown at night and cars are there.”

Lisa Davis and Laquita Stanley, owners of the soon-to-open Kelly Street Market, saw opportunity in the Sylvester downtown’s walkability and vacant spaces. They both said the presence of Sylvester’s police and sheriff was a huge drawing factor.

Stanley said she feels safe walking downtown even at night.

Davis said she sees Sylvester’s downtown as a diamond in the rough. She purchased an old warehouse-type building downtown with a storefront on Kelly Street. She and Stanley are turning it into a community market that will host small businesses. The building is currently undergoing renovations, and the grand opening is planned for mid-March.

Davis said she sees the market as an opportunity for entrepreneurs who can’t afford their own brick-and-mortar space to kick-start their businesses.

The building has double access on Kelly Street as well as Liberty Avenue. It’s close to the Depot, meaning people can easily walk from events on Front Street to the market.

Davis is a real estate broker with properties throughout southwest Georgia. She’s been investing in Sylvester properties for the last four years. She said private investors are leading the growth downtown, and there is opportunity in private and public partnerships to help grow the city.

Both Davis and Stanley agree that new faces will benefit the community.

“There is no reason our town couldn’t do as well as other up-and-coming towns,” Davis said. “If we all work together toward a common goal, Sylvester’s future will be bright.

Rackley said small businesses, along with agriculture, are what drive the community. There are more than 400 small businesses in Worth County. The city wants to see these businesses succeed.

Businesses aren’t just businesses, she said; they’re the people behind them.

“In other words, we know these people,” Rackley said. “They’re near and dear to our hearts.”

Crowe said everybody knows everybody, and even people who are transplants into the community have a place here. It’s home, he said

Staff Photo: Lucille AndersonStaff Photo: Lucille Lannigan