Brooklet council moves to pursue fixes for sagging power lines at Randy Newman Community Center ahead of Peanut Festival

City of Brooklet officials on March 19 discussed urgent safety concerns about overhead electrical and lighting lines at the Randy Newman Community Center and outlined steps to pursue relocation or undergrounding ahead of the Peanut Festival.

Council members described visible sagging of lines and cited a utility-pole incident last year in which a pole was pulled down and a woman was injured. The council said the outcome could have been far worse depending on the victim's position and expressed concern about potential city liability if another incident occurs.

Mayor L.W. "Nicky" Gwinnett said he has met with a Georgia Power representative (identified in the meeting as Joel Hanner) about replacing poles and lines; council members discussed options such as relocating an incoming pole, reconfiguring the main incoming service, routing lines underground beneath the railroad and converting the site to underground service for the center's lights. The council also discussed seeking partial funding help from Georgia Power and sponsorship or infrastructure assistance from the Bulloch County Development Authority (BCDA).

An electrician's estimate was cited in the meeting at roughly $30,000 to $34,000 to rework the lighting and bring the site to the safer configuration the council described. Council members agreed on next steps: continue talks with Georgia Power, obtain final cost estimates, develop a pole-relocation/undergrounding plan and explore BCDA or partner contributions to reduce the city's cost exposure.

The council emphasized speeding that process because the Peanut Festival will increase public activity at the site. No formal vote was taken; the item remains for staff follow-up.