Pembroke City Council voted unanimously to go forward with the Northside Cemetery fencing project at its monthly meeting Monday night.
In a presentation, Council member Tiffany Walraven showed examples of the proposed brick columns, cement column caps and black steel metal that would cost an estimated $86,900 to put together. The cost included upgraded lighting around the cemetery.
"The project would be fully donor driven and the city would bear no expense," she said. "Donors would contribute by purchasing fence panels, columns, column caps or direct donations for the project in general."
Prison labor would be used to set the column foundations and build the columns themselves then the fence company would install the metal fence work, which was included in the estimate for the fencing, according to Walraven.
"Not only would it beautify the city, it would help with the problems we’ve had out there with vandals," she said.
Walraven said that many citizens have already shown positive interest in the project.
In other business:
The time to apply for the City Administrator position ended Friday, according to Pembroke Mayor Judy Cook. The City received approximately 30 applications to consider, though she hasn’t had a chance to look at them yet, she said."The human resources committee will review them all and make recommendations," Cook said, but didn’t know how long the process would take.
Walraven, part of the police committee, announced the City would be posting an advertisement for the position of Pembroke Police Chief soon since the city administrator advertisement had closed.
Interim Pembroke Police Chief Stacy Strickland told council that arrests made Saturday night while serving warrants for robbery could lead to more information and arrests regarding area burglaries.
"Two were arrested, and both are cooperating fully with the burglary investigation." He said. "We hope to get everyone involved."
In a proclamation, Cook announced Pembroke would host an Arbor Day event Friday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. at the J. Dixie Harn Community Center.
"Trees are a renewable resource that provide many benefits, including uplifting the soul," she said.
Wynn Carney, an organizer of the event said, "we’ll be planting trees and giving them away." He said 100 trees had been requested from the Georgia Forestry to give away on Feb. 20.
Carney also reported that a copy of the Bryan County flood map was available for residents’ use to determine if homes fell into the revised flood zones. The final map will go into effect early March.
"Houses that weren’t in a flood zone before may be now," he said. "It could effect homeowners' insurance and residents need to check the map and their insurance coverage before the final map goes into effect," Carney said.
Pembroke is on the Internet social networking site Facebook, according to Carney, where information on City events such as Arbor Day will be posted regularly.