Happy 2025! First and foremost, I would like to thank the incredible work of our dedicated Public Works, Parks and recreation, and public safety teams in the City, as we were able to navigate the storms last week with little incident, as residents adhered to the stay-at-home recommendation and enjoyed time with friends and family. We are grateful and fortunate to our Police Chief Kerry Thomas and Fire Chief Lance Moore and their teams for the excellent service they provide to our citizens. we are also grateful to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) for all their help clearing our city's roads.
We have so much planned for 2025 and we hope you are excited for events such as our Black History Month celebration on February 22nd at Rice Creek School, and, of course, our continued commitment to quality and balanced growth, means you are invited to the February 4th Public Open House at the CLIC for the in-progress Comprehensive Plan update, to help shape the future of the City! Please share with your friends and neighbors, as we want to ensure the voice of the citizens is heard.
While there are many great things, such as Anchor Park's construction, we have even more exciting things to report, such as the City's Master Trail Plan, currently in the design phase, that, when implemented, will connect our City like never before, allowing residents to access Anchor Park north of I-95, without ever getting into their cars. We expect this trail plan to be completed by March. Also, residents accessing Lakeside Drive, at the entrance of Rice Hope, will see construction begin on a new red light at the intersection, at the end of this month.
At the end of 2024, the Port Wentworth Development Authority hosted an economic outlook luncheon for the City, where over 150 people heard from noted economist, Dr. Michael Toma, as he presented the bright future for the City in 2025. Highlighting our growth, noting that Port Wentworth over 20+ years has grown by 4.36x, versus 1.45x for the same time period in Savannah, with our 9.1% 5-year average growth, far exceeding the regions at 1.4% over the same time period. This helps explain also how Port Wentworth's median income grep by 25% over 6 years, versus Chatham County at 23%, Effingham at 15% and Bryan at 17%. The growth in both population, income and business will continue to come to our City, as we continue to invest in our community, through our community clean up, streetscape enhancements, infrastructure investments, and programming that invites a wealth of visitors from around the region. To view a copy of Dr. Toma's full economic forecast, click HERE.
Additionally, the City, for the third year in a row, received a clean independent audit report, thanks to the leadership of our Asst. City Manager and CFO, Colonel Tom Kilmartin. This clean audit (available on the City website) demonstrates the city's commitment to a strong financial position, as your Council continues to invest in years of neglected infrastructure needs. The city has also recently adopted a new code enforcement ordinance, which will enhance the landscape and imagery of our great city, encouraging residents and businesses to work together to keep Port Wentworth clean and beautiful.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact your City staff and Council, as we work daily to ensure you and new residents and businesses continue to #ChoosePortWentworth, to Live, Experience and Thrive.
In Service,
Steve Davis
