Pembroke police were kept busy the night country star Luke Bryan played in neighboring Claxton.
At Monday’s City Council meeting, Pembroke Police Chief Stacy Strickland reported the agency made more than a dozen arrests and handed out nearly two dozen citations during “aggressive” traffic patrols from 5 p.m. Oct. 2 to 3 a.m. Oct. 3.
In all, Pembroke police arrested seven people for DUI, five for underage drinking and one on drug charges, according to information provided by PPD.
One unlicensed motorist was arrested and 22 were cited for traffic violations ranging from speeding and not wearing seat belts to possessing open containers of alcohol.
Pembroke police also returned two girls, one 13 and the other 14, to their parents who reportedly didn’t know the girls were out.
In Strickland’s report to council, he noted the heavy traffic from Bryan’s tour “in previous years has led to extreme drinking and destruction of property.”
The report also said flexible scheduling meant the stepped-up patrols cost the city no extra money.
And if Mayor Pro Tem Johnnie Miller has anything to say about it, police could be asked to keep overweight adults off playground equipment.
The issue arose when Recreation Director Mandy Toole told the council about playground equipment on Lanier Street in need of repair.
As council members discussed the issue and why the equipment needed to be fixed, Miller said the damage wasn’t caused by children.
“There are too many 300-pound adults on (the swing),” he said. “Chief Strickland, maybe we can warn them a couple of times and then, when you catch a 200- to 300-pound woman swinging on that swing, I would like for them to be arrested.”
That brought laughter from those in the room before Mayor Mary Warnell said adults would be notified who the swings are for.
“We are going to post a sign there to remind people it is for children,” she said.
Also Monday, council members approved the awarding of a bid of $243,847 to Vidalia-based OCS Inc., to improve drainage on Anderson Lane. The lane runs behind Main Street from Strickland to Warnell streets and is prone to flooding.
Work on the project is expected to begin in November and take around three months.
In addition, the city approved a request from I Believe God International Ministries to hold a tent rival in town on Oct. 27.
The city also voted to aid the American Legion Auxiliary in its Nov. 9 Veterans Day Observance.
The city approved Dec. 14 as the date of the Christmas Parade, and Downtown Development Authority Director Sharroll Fanslau urged residents to check out the city’s “Fall Into Art” display, which opened Tuesday.
Finally, the city approved a second reading of an ordinance that would allow for the removal of Planning and Zoning Commission members who miss four consecutive meetings.  
The city council also went into executive session to discuss real estate, but no action was taken.