The Eatonton Youth Leadership Program, started just last year, is expected to become an elective class beginning in August at Putnam County High School.
City council approved the change at its June 7 meeting at the request of Councilmember Janie Reid who has spearheaded the youth program from its inception.
“Our students are very, very busy,” she explained. “Getting a full class is a struggle.”
The program was first approved in November 2020, during the pandemic, to help give local high school students real-world experiences relating to local issues from government to cultural affairs. The first class of 15 students started the six-month program in March 2021. The latest group graduated earlier this month.
Reid said that, working with Putnam High and the youth group’s advisory council, she has managed to find strong enough support to develop a test class beginning this coming school year. If it works, it will replace the independent class.
A curriculum developed by the University of Georgia Fanning Institute will set the framework for the class. Segments will include topics like understanding leadership, communicating effectively, appreciating differences, managing conflict, and exercising community leadership. The class will also incorporate experiences in the current Eatonton Youth Leadership program including a citywide tour, team bonding exercises like High Ropes at Rock Eagle, Q&As with local leaders, workshops on finance and social media etiquette.
“We will be in an environment where we will serve more students and they will be on site. We won’t have to wait for them to come,” Reid said.
The city will organize the class and cover the expenses and students will get a grade.
In other action, city council also approved a $1.519 million contract with Peach State Construction Company to perform street and major drainage improvements and repairs generally along South Jefferson Avenue, Beech Avenue, Newsome Drive and Sunnydale Drive. Peach State was the lesser of two bids submitted.
A federal block grant will pay for $750,000 of the project. When the original cost estimate was made in 2019, the project was expected to total about $1 million, leaving the city about $250,000 to pay.
Since then, a building boom has caused construction costs to skyrocket and when added to supply chain problems and recent jumps in inflation, the city share increased to about $750,000. That money will come from various local option sales tax funds.
City Administrator Gary Sanders said that with council’s approval, supplies would be ordered immediately but delays and demand will likely delay delivery until October or November. He did reassure council that the contract locks in unit prices on materials so future inflation will not impact that price.
Also at the June 7 City Council meeting:
• Approval was given for the city to continue participating in the Georgia Classic Main Streets program which, according to its website, “places an emphasis on historic preservation education as well as economic development lending itself to an active and vibrant downtown.”
• Council members approved a 5K route through downtown on August 20 to raise money, according to the applications, “for people in need in our community.”