Warner Robins Burger Week announced for late September

WARNER ROBINS — In two meetings on July 15, the city of Warner Robins took strides in annexation and announced a tasty new event in September.

Warner Robins Burger Week

In a delicious new venture, the city and Visit Warner Robins are organizing the inaugural Warner Robins Burger Week, according to a release by the city. From Sept. 22 – 28, various restaurants around Warner Robins, 25 to be exact, will offer an exclusive burger made specifically for the event.

The city said this event will be a “gastronomic extravaganza” where the public can try a variety of treats. 

“It is a week-long celebration dedicated to the art of burger making, inviting food enthusiasts to explore a diverse range of flavors, toppings and cooking styles across the city’s dining scene. Whether you’re a burger aficionado or simply love trying new culinary delights for others this morning with the promises and delicious and unforgettable experience for all,” Visit Warner Robins marketing coordinator Lera Moncrief said during council meeting.

Community and economic development director Kate Hogan added Moncrief’s idea for Burger Week started years ago and is an excellent opportunity to support local businesses.

She also shared the event’s tagline.

“You can ‘ketchup’ with friends, ‘relish’ in the moment and you can ‘mustard’ the courage to try every burger in town,” Hogan said.

More information about the upcoming event can be found here.

Property Changes in the City

Moving on to the agenda, several pieces of property were up for annexation and purchase for the city, as well as one on the chopping block.

The city approved a $500,000 purchase and sale agreement for 102 North Davis Drive, acquiring another piece of property near Commercial Circle.

The city annexed an almost three-acre property on Moody Road, north of the Moody Road and Alton Tucker Sr. Boulevard intersection, and a one-acre property on N. Amanda Place. 

309 Nelson Drive, behind the Watson Central Shopping Center, was the property up for de-annexation. According to Mayor LaRhonda Patrick, the property is already sandwiched between county property. The current owner wishes to place a mobile home on the lot, an action against the city’s code of ordinances.

The city approved the de-annexation unanimously.

Apartments and Streetlights

During pre-council meeting, Councilmen Charlie Bibb and Clifford Holmes brought attention to multiple city developments. The first was a streetlight replacement project on Green Street and N. Houston Road.

As explained by Hogan, Flint Energies is actively working on replacing the lights, but the project was not funded through Community Development Block Grant funds, which were instead used for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

“We actually moved out that project through our CDBG program here for last year, because Flint already has that project rolling and we didn’t want to slow them down with our federal requirements to spend that funding. So we reallocated that money towards sidewalk projects. But I do believe that Flint is working on that actively,” Hogan said.

Councilman Larry Curtis added Flint replaces lights in the area when they break, and Holmes said lights were replaced on Russell Parkway. 

Bibb said the Green Street project had been pushed for years and called for attention to safety in the area.

“I’ve seen some roads where they’ve come and totally redone then. And they haven’t on the north side of town. I don’t understand why that hasn’t been done and it should be done. I don’t think you should wait for the lights to go out. It’s something that needs to be done to make our city safe and to light up those streets a little bit better,” Bibb said.

Patrick suggested the city provide the council with a timeline and communicate with Flint Energies that the lightbulbs should be replaced regardless of whether they are broken.

The other improvement Bibb suggested was road widening on Highway 41 south of Watson Boulevard, saying with industrial development in the area, traffic could become more complex with trucks going in and out.

Holmes brought attention to an apartment complex and called for more bike-friendly trails in the city.

According to Patrick, the city already denied a second development phase for the apartments near First Baptist Church, saying the complex would need to provide a second access point. The proposed access point was a road parallel to the existing complex, which was too close to the church and residential areas.

As a compromise, Patrick said the city is talking to Norfolk Southern Railroad about adding an entryway to Highway 247 near the VECTR Center, which would provide another entrance to the neighborhood.

No action was taken by council at this time on the items brought up by Bibb and Holmes.

The next Warner Robins City Council Meeting will take place Monday, Aug. 5, at City Hall, 700 Watson Boulevard. Pre-Council starts at 4:30 p.m., council meeting immediately following. 

Supporting documents from this meeting can be found here. A live stream can be found here.