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Council issues awareness proclamations; nonprofits brief council and residents raise local service concerns
Summary
At its Oct. 16 meeting, Port Wentworth council issued several proclamations (Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Retired Educators Day), heard from Safe Shelter and other nonprofits about services and statistics, and received public comments on traffic, Pine Forest concerns and fire station issues.
The City of Port Wentworth council opened its Oct. 16 meeting with proclamations recognizing multiple awareness observances and time for registered public comments.
Mayor Pro Tem Gabrielle Nelson presented proclamations for Domestic Violence Awareness Month; National Down Syndrome Awareness Month; Breast Cancer Awareness Month; National Disability Employment Awareness Month; and Retired Educators Day.
Shannon Dates, CEO of Safe Shelter, and Daisy Hernandez, director of outreach and community education, briefed the council on their work. Dates said Safe Shelter has served the community for 46 years as the second-largest domestic violence shelter in Georgia and “assists about 1,800 individuals each year” without city or county funding. Hernandez said the outreach office filed 212 protective orders last year. Both speakers thanked police and city officials for support.
Representatives from the Low Country Down Syndrome Society marked the organization’s 20th anniversary and its 20th Buddy Walk, noting its evolution from a family support network into a community resource. Shemeika Simmons, founder of GoPaint365, described a decade of breast-cancer-awareness efforts and announced upcoming fundraising events including a runway show tied to domestic violence and breast cancer awareness and the Chatham Holiday Ball on Dec. 20.
During the public-comment portion, Georgia Benton mentioned the Rice Hope groundbreaking and raised concerns about the fire station; Virginia Hines thanked police for assisting with an alligator and raised traffic congestion on Highway 21; Joann Landing raised concerns about Pine Forest. Council acknowledged the remarks; no formal actions were taken on these public comments during the meeting.
Kathy Grant and other members of the Chatham Retired Educators thanked the council for the proclamation and summarized their support work for local schools.
The council recognized service milestones: Police Chief Kerry Thomas recognized officers Sykes, Bieber and David for five years of service, and City Manager Steve Davis recognized Deputy City Manager Omar Senati-Martinez for 10 years with the city and outlined his progression from an inspector to overseeing several departments.
