Well, good evening, everyone.

Welcome to Making Bip County Board of Commissions Precommission.

Today is Tuesday, November the eighteenth, and the time is now five o'clock.

I'd like to welcome everyone here today, and we are excited that all of our commissioners are here and in their places on time today, along with the mayor and the rest of the staff.

So the first thing we're going to do is what we always do for the pre-commission meetings, that's approve our approval of the minutes.

The first one is a little in particular is that uh the Sony Gas Venture located at 4331, Pinona Avenue, Making Georgia 31201.

Uh this is uh at the review legal determinants that approval since the taxes have been paid.

As you remember, we denied it previously because taxes were not paid, and therefore they did not meet our uh good standing letter.

Since that time, they went and paid all their property taxes in full.

They meet the good standing now.

So they changed the recommendation to approval.

And at this time, uh I undertain a motion to approve.

Got a motion by Commissioner Bowie.

We got a second.

Second by Commissioner Howell.

Uh Commissioner Howell, you have a question, sir.

Yeah, it's just a minor calling about 3120 six.

Okay.

I'll make the second okay.

I've I read it correctly.

I know my eyes are bad, but 31206.

Okay.

We have a motion and second.

All those in favor of the motion, please say aye.

Opposed, nay.

That motion carries.

We sent consent agenda.

Item B is reliance food mark located at three goodness.

3609, Pineona Avenue.

That's 31206.

Uh legal does recommend approval.

They meet all the legal and statutory requirements to get uh their license.

Uh and otherwise uh should get one.

So all those in favor of the motion, let me actually gonna get a motion to approve.

Motion by Commissioner Howell.

Do you have a second?

Second by Commissioner Wynne.

All those in favor of the motion, please say aye.

Opposed, nay.

That motion carries and we sent the consent agenda.

Thank you very much.

Item C is a quick zip located at 3518 Jeffersonville Road, 31217.

Uh, they also meet all the uh statutory requirements to get an alcohol license, including their certificate of good standing, and legal does recommend approval.

This time we entertain a motion to approve.

Motion by Commissioner Wilde.

We have a second second by Commissioner Howell.

All those in favor of the motion, please say aye.

Opposed, nay.

That motion carries and we sent consent agenda.

We're gonna move on to agreements, contracts, and purchase orders.

We have ABCD, that's for my book.

And we'll begin with a resolution of Make and Bibb County Commission authorizing the mayor to execute a construction management at risk agreement with Barton Malo Mallow Builders LLC for the construction of a new arena subject to further approval upon finalization of cost and construction, authorizing a payment of up to $675,000 from the 2025 supplies fund to Barton Mallow Builders LLC for pre-construction services.

Prior to our vote, we do have a presentation.

Did we have that queued up?

Okay.

If you don't mind, we'll if you come forward, remind everybody of who you are and uh speaking to that microphone so we can do that, and we'll do a presentation on that.

Uh I think all commissioners except for one have res uh have already reviewed the presentation, so we'll be going through a review tonight uh prior to our vote.

So this time we'll make sure your microphone is on.

Identify yourself again uh from MFA and then begin your presentation, sir.

Yes, sir.

Uh Will Christenberry with MFA program management.

We are the uh firm chosen as the owner's representative for the Making Arena projects.

Uh we come uh in front of you this evening to present Barton Mallow Builders as the construction manager at risk for the Make an Arena project.

So before I get into uh Barton Mallow, I want to give you some history uh on how we got to choose uh Barton Mallow or however we are bringing them in front of you today.

Sneak peek there.

I'm having some technical difficulties with your clicker here.

All right.

So on uh Wednesday, September 3rd, the uh RFP went live for the construction manager at risk services.

Um shortly after that on Tuesday, uh September the 16th.

We had a pre bid uh pre-bid conference over at the Coliseum site.

Uh had a great number of attendees come out, ask questions, and and get more detail into the RFP itself.

Uh proposals were received from firms on Thursday, October the 9th, and then a short list review of those responses was on Friday, October the 10th.

Uh the final uh interviews and selections were on Tuesday, October the 21st.

So of all the firms that were interested, we ended up getting three responses.

We had a lot more uh interest early on.

We had some of the larger firms come to us and let us know that uh they didn't either have the capacity, they weren't in the area to work.

Uh we landed with some very respectable firms uh submitting.

The first was a partnership appointment between Barton Mallow and Sheridan Construction, a local firm.

Uh Turner Construction and Piedmont, another local firm, and a singular submission from MeJia construction uh out of Atlanta, Georgia.

So through the RFP process, there was a uh scoring of these firms.

Uh Barton Mallow uh scored the highest.

This was through a uh committee uh that all the uh proposals went in front of the interviews uh in the process.

Those members chose Barton Mallow or received the highest score to Barton Mallow due to their attention to detail, the knowledge of the existing sites, their detailed explanation of the construction approach, showing that they understood the Coliseum itself, how to keep it open during construction, make sure it doesn't impede on events.

They showed a great commitment to the community itself and giving back, and we'll touch more on that here in a minute.

A great understanding of the schedule.

We want to aim to get this completed in an expeditious time frame, and they showed that they could complete that.

They showed they had the capacity to perform the work, demonstrated that they had cost control measures to ensure that we stay within our bounds, and also showed experience with recent projects of a similar nature.

So a little on Barton Mallow.

They've performed $3.4 billion worth of construction over the last five years alone.

Over 100 projects in Georgia in the last 36 years, and in 2025, they were the number four contractor for sports and entertainment venues in the United States of America.

All right, so touching on a little bit of their recent experience, past projects that uh tie in line with uh our arena here in Macon, Georgia.

One is the Chesapeake Employers Arena.

This was a 175,000 square foot arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

So that is slightly smaller than what we're gauging right now for the Macon market.

Another one is the UBS Arena.

Uh, this is a 767,000 plus square foot arena, which is uh much larger than what we're looking at here.

Uh Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, where the Pistons play, so that is over one million square feet of very large arena, show that they have the expertise and experience to uh construct uh what Macon Biv County is trying to do here.

Uh nationwide arena in Columbus, Ohio, it's 767,000 square feet, and an ongoing project uh in Kalamazoo, Michigan for their event center at 456,000 square feet.

So now we're touched on their partnership, Sheridan Construction local firm here in Macon.

Uh Sheridan's been serving the community for 78 years.

Uh in the last 25 years, they've uh done over 500 projects here in Macon, totaling over 600 million dollars.

They are a local SLBE certified firm here in Macon.

You'll know that they've uh notable projects, the uh renovation over here at the Macon Auditorium.

They've done work for Mercer University and also for Troop County, as you can see.

Not going to get on to or touch on each individual role here, but this is the top team uh top 10 team members across both firms that'll be working on this project.

Uh behind these team uh 10 people, there's actually a group of 30 plus individuals from the two firms that will work on this project throughout its fruition.

Of those 30, there's actually 13 members that either live here or will be really okay, relocating here to take on this project.

So SLB inclusion.

So I touched on earlier that they want to give back to the community as much as possible.

Um before I get into how they do that, current market research and comparing to other projects, we're looking at about 15% uh SLBE inclusion or contracting on this project.

So, what that means for the community.

Um past projects, that's about 320 jobs just in construction labor alone.

Now, if you look at all the people that are behind them in administrative roles, you could be 500 plus uh jobs throughout the process of this arena just here in Macon alone.

Um, but how do they do that?

They first engage the market.

Uh they understand the firms that are here in town in Sheridan is going to be doing a great job at assisting them in that.

Um they go out and release pre uh pre-needs assessments uh to these firms for them to respond to.

They do virtual outreach, so they will perform a series of uh meetings here in town to invite these firms in to get a better understanding of them, their capacities.

They'll go on from that and uh structure bid packages uh from the understanding of these firms, send them out uh on the market to get responses back, and then vet those firms to make sure that they've got the capacity.

In the event that some of these firms may fall short, uh they'll encourage them to partner with other small firms, have their own smaller joint partnerships to make sure that everybody gets a piece of the uh the project.

And then they'll work with them throughout the entire project to make sure that everything goes in line, that they're submitting everything as needed.

Payments are being made in accordance.

So to touch on a few things that Bart Mallow brings to the table that are very interesting for project and are very helpful.

Uh so uh building information modeling.

Uh so what you see here in the red is a model of ductwork.

So they'll take all their subconsultants' drawings, um, your MEP, your structural, and they'll plug them into this program.

And this program is going to build a full 3D model of the project prior to it even being constructed.

And it's going to show them what we call the industry is Clash, is what you're seeing here in red.

The duct is going straight through a vertical member.

Uh what this does, it's a great tool.

It uh allows you to align all of your trades before getting into construction.

Um saves your schedule, uh, prevents them from having to make field modifications, having to go back, have steel remade.

Those are big schedule drivers that can really impact a project.

Uh so health scan efficiencies, and it's a great tool to have.

Another one is uh their 3D uh laser scanning.

So what you can see here uh as a project's being constructed, uh they'll go through weekly, bi-weekly, depends on how much construction is going on at the moment, and do a scan of the entire facility.

This builds out a 3D model that uh can be passed on to the county upon completion of the project.

And what that allows them to do is one, if they're pursuing clients, they can pass this file along to them, they can do their own uh virtual 3D tours of the facility itself, or two, if they're doing maintenance.

Uh if there is a water main that breaks in a freeze, uh, if something goes wrong, they can see where every piece of equipment is, every pipe behind a wall, they can put an iPad or a laptop up on the outside of it and it's going to show them all the infrastructure that is uh in the background.

Touched on this a little bit earlier and won't get into the details here, but we set a timeline to be done in uh Q3 of 2028 with its project.

Bart Malis submitted uh the schedule here along with a very detailed schedule outlining um what we call a fast track phased approach to be able to get a project like this done in an expeditious time frame, uh very detailed and uh show the experience to to get it done in the time that is needed.

Uh that concludes our presentation for today on Barton Mall uh builders, and I'll open up the floor for any questions if needed.

Thank you.

I appreciate that presentation and appreciate you keeping us uh up on the process.

Mr.

Stewart, do you have a question, sir?

Yeah, I want to thank you, Will, so much for that.

I hope you're enjoying your time here in Macon, Georgia, and everything.

Uh I didn't want to ask this.

That 15% uh my main concern is making sure that minority and female uh participation is on this project.

So that 15% is pretty firm, right?

That 15% they're confident.

They've expressed confidence, and they're that is just what they're seeing now.

That could range even higher than 15%.

Okay.

And the second thing I wanted to ask you is if I if I notice that Kalamazoo Event Center, their completion date is in October of 2027.

Ours is in the spring of 2028.

Uh, has the company worked on multiple things in the past that close together?

Yes, sir.

Absolutely.

So they have um it's over 15 offices across North America.

They're in Canada, uh, they're actually out of uh Schofield, uh, Michigan.

This is coming out of their uh North Carolina office, so they've got plenty of uh uh personnel to take this on.

Okay, thank you.

Commissioner Wan.

Uh yes, we'll good to see you again.

Thank you for moving down here to work with us.

I hope you're living in district one.

No, I I we had talked about this in our other meeting about how many people this would hold, and I think we were told of 10,000.

Is that right?

That is the capacity we're aiming for, and that's what we're showing right now.

Okay, and if you want to use a breakout room, are you considering the breakout rooms to be added to this facility for companies that come in for a big meeting but they want to have educational classes?

Absolutely.

We are studying that to see if that fits between the cost measures of the facility and have the designers actually working towards multiple options for additional spaces.

Okay.

Something else, but it'll come to me in a minute.

Commissioner Batley.

Yes, and thank you as well for coming and joining us here in Make and Bib.

Um, my question is um, based on our conversation that we had about the percentage, and I want to make this very, very plain to our make and bib county citizens the percentage of jobs that you'll be looking for when you begin to build in construction here on the arena.

Yes, so that 15% is explained earlier.

We're looking at just in labor hours and construction alone.

Uh, in speaking with the firms, over 300 jobs.

Uh and then as stated earlier, the administrative side, that could be upwards of 500 jobs just here in Macon, Georgia.

Thank you.

It's very, very important for our citizens to ensure that you know they've got as much buy-in on this as we do.

We're looking forward to this new arena.

It is very beautiful in the skyline, what it's gonna do to the skyline.

I'm very, very impressed.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Thank you, Commissioner Bailey.

Uh I'll make a motion to approve Mayor Pro Tems asked for a second.

Uh digital questions, ms.

When you have a question.

Are you asking me?

Yes, ma'am, you got a follow up.

Okay, yeah, well, you said the completion would be two thousand third quarter, two thousand twenty-eight.

Is that right?

That's correct.

And not first quarter, because I think we were asking Kalamazoo is going to be done in 2027.

Yeah.

But we're talking about it.

We're shooting somewhere in May, June of 2028.

Whatever quarter that falls into, uh, it falls into, but that's that's what we're shooting for now.

As long as we've got enough folks to do the work.

Absolutely.

We will.

Uh, we have a motion and second.

All those in favor of the motion, please say aye.

Opposed, nay.

That motion carries a no as we be sent to consent agenda.

Thank you for being here once again.

Uh, item B is a resolution of Make and Bibb County Commission authorize the mayor to execute a change order to the agreement with Advent Business Interiors Inc.

an amount of 29,556.88 cent for the purchase of furniture for the Middle Georgia Regional Airport to be paid from the airport fund, uh, regional repairs, maintenance, et cetera.

As my motion, can I get a second?

Segred by Commissioner Howell.

Any discussion?

You know, discussion.

All those in favor of the motion, please say aye.

Opposed, nay.

That motion carries a beset consent agenda.

Item C is a resolution of Make and Bib County Commission authorizing the mayor to execute a professional services agreement with signal aviation consultant in amount of 29,150 dollars for the provision of air service consulting and data services payable from the airport fund, airport middle Georgia Regional Professional Services of the Line Items.

Can I get a motion to approve?

Motion by Commissioner Wynne.

We have a second.

Seg goodbye, Commissioner Bryant.

I have a motion and second.

Any questions?

Here are no questions.

All those in favor of the motion, please say aye.

Opposed, nay.

That motion carries a bescent consent agenda.

Item D is a resolution of the Make and Bib County Commission authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with Middle Georgia outdoor lighting for the purchase and installation of lighting equipment at Caroline Creighton Park in an amount of $628,600.

I keep in mind a few weeks ago we voted uh to do this and appropriated funds.

This is the actual company that will be doing uh that installation there.

Certainly we need it at the park to need more lighting there.

They've already we already do have some lighting out there that's looking good so far, and it also will prevent cherry blossom themselves from during the festival will have to get additional lighting there, uh which is an expense that they have to accumulate year after year.

Mr.

Bronson, do you have a question, sir?

Just want to say thank you for making this happen, and then we add it on as a call sponsor, please.

Yes, sir.

Commissioner Brunn, did you have your light on earlier?

I answer your question.

Okay, thank you very much.

All right, we uh can get a motion to approve.

And can I get a second?

All right.

Yeah, Bronson and uh that was Bailey.

And I got Commissioner Wynne as a co-sponsor.

All right, all covered.

I heard her.

I got this, baby.

We'll go.

We go.

Um motion second, all those in favor, please say aye.

Opposed, nay.

All right, that's done, deal.

Be seen on the consent agenda here shortly.

Appropriations, all right.

We got one item on appropriations, an ordinance of the Make and Bib County Commission to authorize the appropriation of $50,000 from interest earned on American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia for the provision of counseling and therapeutic programs for victims of crime.

Ms.

Henry, you want to step up through the microphone there?

Uh if you please speaking to that microphone, identify yourself and tell them a little bit about what you do and what these funds will be used for.

Sure.

My name is Christy Henry.

I'm the executive director of the Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia, and I'm here today to share with how this funding would significantly impact victims of crime and make and bib.

At Family Counseling Center, we are on track to see more than 1,200 clients and over 4,500 therapy sessions this year.

This is a 20% increase in the number of clients and 47% in the number of sessions over 2024.

This means retaining clients, we are retaining clients and able to provide accessible, high-quality mental health services in a timely manner.

Unfortunately, we are facing nearly a 50% cut to our budget heading into 2026 due to decreases in federal and local funding.

We do not want this to equate our ability to see clients by 50% or 50% less sessions.

So this would be extremely obviously extremely detrimental to the health and well-being of our community.

A majority of our loss in funding is related to victim services.

We know that our victims of crime are our most vulnerable clients, and lack of timely access can have severe consequences, like unsafe coping behaviors, family instability, school difficulties by children, suicide, and perpetuation of violence and crime.

Of our estimated 4,500 sessions in 2025, more than 2,000 sessions were with victims of crime.

However, we know that many more have experienced unre unreported victimization as our clients experience a lack of resources and basic necessities.

Our greatest growth in crime type are survivors of homicide related to the triple homicide in May, including 30 clients, eight of whom are children.

Thank you for that information.

So this time I entertain a motion to approve.

Motion by Commissioner Bronson say goodbye, Commissioner Bailey.

And Commissioner Stewart, you had a question or to follow up?

No, I really just wanted to say thank you to Miss Henry and all that she does in the community.

You know, we've seen an uptick in crime, and uh that's no magic puzzle, no magic thing to solve it, but I know it's always in doing something, and what you all do is definitely part of that puzzle.

So I just want to say thank you for that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We do have a motion and a second.

All those in favor of the motion, please say aye.

Opposed, nay.

That motion carries unanimously to be sent to consent agenda.

Thank you for being here tonight.

Thank you for having me.

Our next item and the last item on the agenda for this meeting will be dedications.

Uh, everyone is well familiar with this item.

This is an ordinance of the Make and Bib County Commission to dedicate uh portion of Third Street running between Popper Street and Cherry Street in honor of Joshua Josh Rogers in recognition of his significant leadership and service to the Macon Bibb County community, appropriation of an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars from the general fund balance to the facilities management department for the purchase of materials and signage.

I know many of you are here today uh in support of this dedication.

We appreciate you being here, uh, especially our new town members uh that are here tonight to support that, and certainly I think uh all the commissioners will join uh in this uh this worthy cause.

Now we'll have a formal ceremony, assuming this passes in just a moment.

I'm getting ahead of myself, but uh, we'll have a formal ceremony when that will be unveiled and make sure everybody has an opportunity to attend uh and and participate in that program.

Uh Mayor Pro Tim Court.

Yeah, I would just ask in sort of in the same vein as Commissioner Lucas used to ask us on really important measures that we all sign on to this, just so when um Jack and Ellie, five, ten years from now, are looking at the work that her is their father did here that they saw that their county um representatives supported them when they needed it.

Commissioner Bryant.

Okay.

We have a co-sponsor for everybody, that'd be great.

We have a motion, second.

I you do not.

Okay.

I got a motion.

So you have a second.

I bet you decide that one.

Uh all those in favor of the motion, please say aye.

Opposed, nay.

That motion carries your analysis to be sent to consent agenda.

Ladies and gentlemen, that can concludes our committee of the whole.

We do have a regular scheduled commission meeting at six o'clock, and we'll stand adjourned until such time.

Well, good evening, everyone.

Welcome to the Mid Bib County Board of Commission's regular meeting.

Today is Tuesday, November the eighteenth, and the time is now approximately six o'clock.

I'd like to welcome everyone here today.

We had our previous commission committee of the whole meeting at five o'clock.

So we stood in the journal until this time now.

So I'd officially call this meeting to order like we always do.

Uh, and welcome everyone here today.

We do uh lead our meetings with a prayer.

Our prayer tonight would be led by Mr.

Lenning Lewis with uh raising that bar ink, if you don't mind coming to that microphone right in the middle.

And then it'll be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

So those that can and will please stand and bow your head while we observe the prayer followed by the pledge of allegiance.

Father, we thank you, Lord God, for gathering together, Lord God, to come up with what your plan is for our life, what your plan is for this city, Lord God, God, even the state of Georgia.

Lord, we thank you, Lord God, for being here on tonight.

We ask God that as you advance your kingdom through each wise decision, that it will advance into a new God place, a newness, God, a freshness in the air, God.

God, I thank you, Lord God, that you say all kingdoms belong to you.

So we submit, Lord God, this meeting unto you.

God, and we ask God that you give each and every member, God, wisdom, Lord God, on the decisions to make God for our people in this county, for in this city, God, for in this state.

God, we thank you, Lord God, God, that you've given us eyes to see, ears to hear.

God, and I thank you, Father God, that we'll come together and we will be God at one decision, one mind, one Lord, one place, Lord God, in you, Father.

God, we thank you, Lord God, God, that this city, Lord God, shall prevail.

This city, Lord God, shall God be a place, Lord God, where we can enjoy and we can raise our children and we can come up, Lord God, with a plan, Father.

God, to just keep going and keep on, God just coming up, God to advancement in this city, God, blessing God, this city, Father God, with the new roadways and the new Lord God ideas and the parks, and God giving us wisdom onto how to choose and how to react and what to do, God.

God giving us witty ideas at this season, God, God moving by your spirit, God, God, we submit this meeting unto you on tonight.

God, have your way.

Let your will be done.

Let your kingdom come, and we bind the adversary that comes in to bring confusion.

We plead the blood of Jesus in this place.

God that you, Lord God will prevail, that your will shall prevail, and we lift up the name of Jesus.

God, because God, you're the one, Lord God, God that brought us to this place.

You're the one, Lord God, to have God, your hand on this place.

And we thank you, Lord God, for all that you're doing, and we give you glory.

We give you praise, God, God, for uplifting the spirits in this place.

God, move God any anxiety in this place, God.

God, touch each and every member.

Move God in the name of Jesus, any God burden.

God, we lift it now in the name of Jesus.

God, you said we can cast our care because you care for us in the name of Jesus, God.

God, we send God your spirit out to each and every person, God.

God that their unique gifts will prevail in this place on tonight.

Lord, we thank you.

We thank you for righteousness.

We thank you for judgment.

We thank you for correction, and we thank you for all things in your hand.

And we just give it to you on tonight.

And we thank you and bless your name in Jesus' holy name.

We pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

I blog you, agents.

And to the republic.

One nation.

Under God.

In the visible with liberty and justice for all.

Maybe seated.

If you wasn't awake, you're awake now.

Thank you for that prayer, sister.

Uh, we do have we don't have any presentations tonight.

Uh we have any comments on agenda items?

Okay.

No comments on agenda items.

We do have the approval of the minutes.

The approval of the minutes is from the November the 4th, 2025 commission meeting at this time.

We entertain a motion to approve the minutes.

Got a motion by Commissioner Wynn.

Do we have a second?

Second by Commissioner Bryant.

All those in favor of the motion, please say aye.

Opposed nay.

That motion carries.

Uh, we have a consent agenda, items A through I.

A through I.

Can I get a motion to approve the consent agenda as published since previously voted on the previous meeting?

Motion by Commissioner Wynne, second by Commissioner Howell.

All those in favor of the motion, please say aye.

Opposed nay.

That motion carries unanimously.

Yes, ma'am.

You have a forum.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I'm an agenda item.

I'm sorry.

Oh, it's not written in.

Okay, there was it doesn't show in here.

Is that what your one is for?

Is that what your one was for?

It says agenda items, but it didn't say what the item was.

Is that a D?

Okay, my bad.

Like a one in a circle.

Uh, item D.

Okay.

Well, I apologize.

Come up on what you speak.

And this is on the agreement with Barton Mallow Builders for LLC for the new arena.

Thank you for being here.

And I'm sorry about that.

Mr.

Ronaldo Scott, you got up to five months to speak.

And items D, which concern the arena.

Thank you very much.

Good evening.

Make and be community, mayor and commissioners.

I stand here tonight concerned that funds to uplift and rebuild lives and neighborhoods in our community are overlooked.

When we have funds in the budget that are not allocated.

Also, an agenda item D requesting 675,000 and splots dollars for pre-construction on a new arena, pushed for it by this administration who cannot even find the time to respect the people that were elected to serve.

A leader who laughs off community concerns on purpose, mocks residents, and attacks anyone who dares to question them.

And let's be honest, he's not the only one.

Too many commissioners and delegates elected to represent us, refuse to attend neighborhood meetings, refuse to answer community questions, and refuse to stand up when it actually matters.

They sit silently, vote blindly, and disappear when accountability is needed most.

Meanwhile, our reality remains.

Gun violence continues to take lives.

Historic black sites are being demolished or ignored.

The tubing is currently leaking on the inside.

Neighborhoods across our country county are underfunded, underserved, and overlooked.

And yet those in leadership treat these issues as background noises.

But here is what gives us strength and hope, the people of Bibb County.

Because the people show up when no one else does, speak truth when others stay silent, fight for our community when those in power choose convenience over courage.

The people of making Bibb County care more about our children, our neighborhoods, and our future than any title or political seat.

The cleanup this weekend showed that.

Attending any sneaker ball, any concert, or having any press release, we could truly enjoy these events without the shadow of raising crime or rising crime, without worrying about a growing homeless population, and with the confidence that our neighborhoods are thriving through real community development and good stable jobs.

Digging into budgets, demanding accountability on sploss funds, advocating for our youth supporting mentorship programs, and meeting with families across the zip code to ask the questions other refuse to ask.

To step into this work and remain silent and dishon would dishonor every civil rights leader, every community warrior, and who paid the price for our democracy.

Those who were beaten, jailed, attacked by dogs, knocked down by water hoses, and even killed for daring to demand justice.

We don't have to attend the predecess bridge to understand the weight of their sacrifice.

And because they stood, fought, and bled for our right to speak, we refuse to remain silent now, not when our community needs us most.

Honored or disrespected by anybody.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Scott.

Good to see you here again tonight.

Our final person to speak is Mr.

Donald Richardson.

Ms.

Richardson, good to see you again tonight as well.

And he wants to do some grassroots reflections.