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Update from the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Recovery & Resiliency Task Force

Staff Report

Monday, July 20th, 2020

On July 15th, the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Recovery and Resiliency Task Force met via ZOOM to discuss progress from each of the following committees: Rehire/Retrain, Policy & Regulation, Small Business, Resiliency, and Chamber of Tomorrow.

Goals, recommendations, and accomplishments from the committees are listed below:

Rehire/Retrain –

  1. To implement a joint Georgia College/Georgia Military College online educational series focused on some of the knowledge gaps identified through the community survey.

  2. To distribute information on the CGTC programs including career training, citizenship classes, GED courses, and more.

  3. To distribute information on the GMC scholarship program that will reduce tuition, books, and fees for individuals affected by COVID-19.

Policy & Regulation –

  1. City and county leaders sent a joint letter to larger local businesses, encouraging them to use best practices for customer and employee safety.

  2. The city eased regulations on restaurants to facilitate to-go orders and outdoor seating.

  3. Local vendors receive preference under several City and county contracting programs.

  4. Milledgeville Main Street offered grants and other assistance to downtown businesses.

  5. Planning and zoning officials have been working throughout the pandemic and construction and

    development projects have been moving forward.

  6. The Development Authority continues to bring businesses to town, with two new companies that build

    emergency vehicles – Fouts Brothers Fire Equipment, taking over the former Rheem building, and

    FireLine, Inc., moving into the MBC Industrial Park.

  7. The county recently received national awards for its animal rescue program and blight prevention.

  8. Free broadband wireless is available in city parks and the library parking lot.

Small Business –

1. Entrepreneurial classes and free workshops through the Milledgeville Incubator Community

Resiliency –

1. Continued pursuit of an above-ground fiber-optic network in order to support wireless internet for Baldwin County, as well as the construction of a data center in the Powell Building.

Chamber of Tomorrow –

1. Promotion and adoption of the Georgia Safety Promise Campaign from Governor Brian Kemp.

2. Addition of the “Return-to-Work” Resources for Employers and Employees via the Georgia Chamber.

All updates and details regarding exact offerings from educational institutions can be found at

https://milledgevillega.com/2020/05/04/milledgeville-baldwin-county-resiliency-recovery-task-force/