Members of Dougherty County’s legislative delegation discuss legislative wins during chamber reception

ALBANY – This year, area state legislators brought home some bacon to southwest Georgia for needs that included mental health, housing and facility improvements, and on Wednesday the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce showed their appreciation to some of those lawmakers.

Legislators who attended included state Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, a Dawson Democrat, and Republican state Reps. Mike Cheokas of Americus and Gerald Greene of Cuthbert.

In Albany, funds were provided to Albany State University for improvements oto the Billy C. Black Building and for Dougherty County’s Westtown Library.

The Black Building was constructed after the 1994 flood that destroyed much of the Albany State campus. It houses an auditorium and theater.

The Westtown Library was completed in 1978, and state grant funding toward the roughly $1.8 million renovation project will include replacing the HVAC system, installing LED lighting, roofing, insulation and making the facility compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

“In the budgetary items, we were able to help our Albany State University,” Sims told a Herald reporter. “We were able to bring funds for the Westtown Library. There’s also other funding for mental health, which southwest Georgia desperately needs as well.”

Another need in the area is decent, affordable housing, and the region also has been a beneficiary in that area as well. In September 2023, southwest Georgia scored two of the first four grants awarded through Gov. Brian Kemp’s Rural Workforce Housing Initiative.

The city of Albany received $923,513 for infrastructure improvements for the 29-house developments at Gillionville Road and Lockett Station Road. The houses are planned for the range of $250,000 to $275,000.

A second grant for the city of Colquitt totaled $2.4 million to help pay for sewer and water improvements for a 49-unit housing project.

While new housing is needed, there also are dilapidated structures and houses that need improvements, Sims said.

“What we need to think about is how do you maintain what you already have,” she said.

That region also can expect to see more housing projects in the future, Greene said.

“We’ve got more of that coming,” he said.

Another area where southwest Georgia needs help is in providing rural broadband internet service, the legislator said. As is the case in many rural areas in the state, fast internet is lacking in southwest Georgia.

The lack of broadband internet is also an issue for personnel with Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany who live all over the area, Greene said.

“That’s a top priority of the colonel (Matthew McKinney),” Greene said. “High-speed internet is important, especially for our Marine base. There’s more on the plate for next year.”

Each of the lawmakers serves large districts, with a dozen or more counties, and sometimes it is difficult to address all of the needs, Greene said.

“Sen. Sims, myself and Bill (Yearta) and Mike (Cheokas) have a lot of counties we have to deal with,” Greene said. “We have to open up some things, especially with our technical colleges around here. The chamber has been such a good consultant. It’s important to have a champion in a community give us the whole plan of what is good economically for our area.

“I’m sure the chamber, the county and the city will have priorities for us to review next year. We’ve got to make sure we have good housing, good infrastructure.”

The Wednesday-afternoon gathering at the chamber was attended by Albany City Commissioner Jalen Johnson and Dougherty County Commissioners Russell Gray, McKinney, who is MCLB-Albany’s commanding officer, and Jana Dyke, president and CEO of the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission. Yearta, a Sylvester Republican, was not in attendance.

“Most of all, we wanted to show our appreciation for what y’all do in Atlanta,” Bridges Sinyard, chair of the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee, told the legislators. “We just want you to know how we appreciate you.”

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]