Brooklet leaders present 20-year land-use plan as sewer, traffic costs highlight need for proactive investment

Brooklet City leaders used their March 12 town hall to press the case for planning now to avoid higher infrastructure costs later, citing a recent $5 million sewer project and engineering estimates that put single-signal intersections on Highway 80 at roughly $1.7 million each.

Mayor L.W. (Nicky) Gwinnett, Jr. told the filled Newman Center that “you can't make a good decision for the future if you don't have good information about the past,” and contrasted a 1950s estimate that a town-wide sewer could have cost about $38,000–$50,000 with the city’s recent $5 million expense to run a single sewer line to Statesboro. Gwinnett said the comparison is “crazy” and framed it as a cautionary example for pursuing proactive planning rather than waiting until costs rise.

Traffic engineers, the meeting heard, rate the intersection of Highway 80 and Cromley Road as failing and Highway 80 and Parker Avenue as nearly failing. Officials said engineering estimates to install traffic signals at critical intersections are about $1.7 million per location and that the city will need significant state or federal grant assistance to cover those costs.

Aaron Carpenter, assistant executive director of the Coastal Regional Commission, presented Brooklet’s draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan, a 20-year roadmap meant to give the city zoning tools to guide development “in a good way before we're overwhelmed by it.” City representatives reported securing roughly $5.7 million in grants aimed at road paving, new wells and a 12-inch water line from Joiner to Cromley Road to support improved water pressure and fire protection.

As part of balancing growth with preservation, Mayor Gwinnett proposed reusing the old Lee Street elementary school as a multi-use municipal facility that could include a new City Hall, a public library, a voting precinct and a training center for municipal groups. The mayor said the project would preserve a local landmark and centralize civic services after the town previously lost the old gym.

Volunteers and local groups, including the Brooklet Community Development Association, were cited as active partners in downtown revitalization efforts. Officials suggested standardized signage, improved landscaping and coordinated wayfinding along the Highway 80 corridor to encourage visitors to stop in downtown Brooklet rather than pass through.

Next steps: the land-use plan will guide zoning changes and grant-seeking efforts; city leaders said they will pursue funding avenues for traffic and sewer improvements while seeking community input on adaptive reuse of the old school. No formal council votes or ordinance adoptions were recorded at the town hall.