Inside Perry, Georgia
Inside Perry, Georgia
From Plans to Progress: Perry’s 2025 Goals in Action
Big promises are easy; durable infrastructure is harder. We sit down with Mayor Walker to unpack how Perry’s 2025 goals—many born from a 2014 strategic plan—are now taking shape across water, sewer, roads, stormwater, and parks. This is the blueprint for a city that plans decades ahead while delivering practical improvements you can feel today.
We dig into the East Perry Wastewater Treatment Facility, now about 60% complete, designed for long-term capacity and located at the confluence of Mossy Creek and Big Indian Creek. You’ll hear how the synchronized sewer outfall system ensures that new treatment capacity actually connects to neighborhoods and businesses, and why the Bear Branch pump station upgrades will relieve pressure on fast-growing areas near Highway 127. Traffic relief gets its due with the GDOT-funded Swift at Commerce rework—smoother flow, fewer backups, and a better downtown experience—while the Sadie Heights stormwater plan replaces worry with resilience through culvert upgrades, an expanded pond, and cleared canals.
We also talk funding fairness. A third-party water and sewer rate study lays out an equitable path to pay for new infrastructure without neglecting the system residents rely on today. Resilience is front and center, too: after Hurricane Helene, emergency backup power for the Tucker Road Water Treatment Plant became a must-have to protect water service during severe weather. Not every project moves in a straight line; Heritage Oaks PTV access is on hold pending developer updates. And because growth is surging on the east side, we’re locking in opportunity now with East Perry Regional Park land acquisition, using SPLOST dollars to secure space for future fields, trails, and flexible recreation that can evolve with demand.
If you care about how a city grows responsibly—balancing capacity, safety, and quality of life—this conversation offers a clear, grounded tour of what’s underway and what’s next. Subscribe, share with a neighbor, and tell us which priority you want to see move fastest. Your feedback helps shape the 2026 goals.
View 2025 Goals & Objectives Presentation.
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Welcome to the Inside Perry Podcast, where you get an inside look at Perry, Georgia's local government. We're glad you chose Perry, where people make the difference. Whether you stay a few hours or a lifetime, your time in Perry will be rewarding and unforgettable. I'm Tabitha Clark, Communications Director for the City of Perry. So welcome back to the Inside Perry podcast, where we bring you the latest updates on projects, people, and the priorities that are shaping our community. And today we're sitting down with Mayor Walker to give an update on the City of Perry's 2025 goals and objectives. Now, these projects represent years, sometimes even decades of planning and preparation. Many of them have first appeared as strategic plans nearly 10 years ago. And now they're taking shape right here in Perry. So we're going to discuss what's underway, what's next, and how these efforts fit into the even bigger vision for Perry in the next 20 years and beyond. So, Mayor Walker, welcome. I'm looking forward to the updates.
SPEAKER_01:Well, thank you. I am too. Always enjoy talking about the city of Perry and the things that we're doing to make this a much better place for people to live and work.
SPEAKER_00:Right. So these projects we just mentioned, it reflects years of planning. So tell me a little bit about how many years.
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's many years. If you if you go back and think about when we started this process, the city is very committed to long-term planning. So we put in place our first strategic plan in 2014. As a city started growing, we felt like we really needed to understand what it was what's going to be required to support that growth. And we started planning for multi-generational projects, as I would call it. We were thinking about wastewater treatment. We were thinking about freshwater. We were thinking about road structures that had to be in place to take care of the traffic. We had to think about what kind of stormwater management we're going to have to have moving forward. So as we go through the last 10 years, 11 years, we've continually updated our strategic plan every couple of years. But coming out of that plan are very specific goals and objectives that the council wants to accomplish each year. That gives direction to the staff to tell them where to place their focus during the year to accomplish these goals and objectives. I can only imagine if we didn't have goals and objectives in place, the staff would be looking at us going, okay, what is it you want us to do? I think it's critical that the council provide that leadership to our staff here in Perry.
SPEAKER_00:And I think it's also important to mention that, yes, we have, you know, what we've, you know, kind of like our top ten goals and objectives, but it's important to know that there's also other projects and goals at, you know, not just these, but these are our priorities, correct? Yes.
SPEAKER_01:I I think you have to set a priority because there's so many things that we have to accomplish each year. Um and if you just started, well, we've got if we have 50 things and it's a question of what's what's important. Right. What do we what do we have to accomplish to continue the growth here in Perry or support the growth that we see coming?
SPEAKER_00:Right. So let's get right into it. So the first goal that we presented the last podcast was the East Perry Wastewater Treatment Facility, that behemoth of a project. So tell me a little bit about that. Give me a little bit of background, and then where are we at now?
SPEAKER_01:This is a very important project because wastewater management is critical with the growth that we're seeing, uh, not only in residential growth, because most people, when they think of growth in period, they think of you know housetops, right? That's not the case. We have to think about industrial growth, we have to think about commercial growth in addition to the residential growth. Residential growth is probably a very small part of the overall growth that we're experiencing here. Right. And so wastewater management is extremely important and it requires a great deal of planning. We started thinking about the new wastewater treatment plant seven or eight years ago and what was going to be required to put it in place, and now it's a reality. Yes. We're probably 60% complete with it. They tell us that they will be complete the end of December, and that they will be running freshwater through that during the first quarter, getting that plant up and running for an operational start somewhere in the second quarter of 26.
SPEAKER_00:Right, wow. And this is uh kind of like on a separate end of Perry, correct? The location of it?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, it's uh it's in the Far East portion of Perry, but that was the ideal spot for us to acquire the permitting from EPD that was going to be required for long-term planning. This plant is permitted for 25 million gallons of water a day. And we're building currently the plant is only 2.5. So we're looking well into the future for our wastewater needs. And this is at the confluence of Mossy Creek as well as Big Indian Creek, and it's the perfect place for our outfall system to take the water off of this plant.
SPEAKER_00:Great. So in the next project, the East Perry Sewer Outfall System. So can you briefly explain, first off, for us, especially like me, what is an outfall system and why is this project important?
SPEAKER_01:It's just the connectivity to the plant. You know, all of our homes are connected to a sewer line, and then those sewer lines have to go into main lines, which are the outfall lines that actually take the waste to the plant so it can be processed. And so the connectivity from our homes and to the plant is is critical. And so this is why we placed it as one of our top goals for 2025, to have the connectivity. Wouldn't do very well to have a plant out in East Perry with no connectivity to the city.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that might present just a little bit of a problem. So how are we as far as expected completion date?
SPEAKER_01:That will be ready when the plant is. We've got a force main that is going in currently, and we expect that it will be finished prior to the plant startup.
SPEAKER_00:Sure, that completely makes sense. So our next project, which is actually, I believe, is complete, is the Swift at Commerce Highway Improvements.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, that is a project that was we have been talking about for the last four or five years. Because of the stacking of traffic on commerce in downtown, it was creating quite a traffic jam down there. GDOT decided that the best way to do that was to make the changes that you've seen at Swift in Commerce. As um we've experienced it over the last couple of weeks, it's flowing extremely well. It is, and we have very little backup in the downtown. I know everybody's having to get adjusted to how to get around downtown.
SPEAKER_00:Change is hard sometimes.
SPEAKER_01:It is, but it is solving the problems that it was put in to solve, and so really appreciate the cooperation with GDOT. And of course, this was a GDOT program, so that's right. This came out of their funding. This was not a funding source from the city of Perry, and we really appreciate their contribution to that.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely, because every little bit helps, right? So the next project, Sadie Heights stormwater management system. So let's talk a little bit about that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I know I think everybody knows we have a stormwater issue in Sadie Heights, and we feel like it's very important that we correct whatever issues we have out there to make sure that no one's home is subject to flooding. Sure. And so we are well uh along with that project. Uh we'll be putting in new culverts there on Stonebridge Drive to improve the water flow through there, and then the next phase we'll be putting in the a larger pond, and we'll also then clear up some of the canals that are in there to make sure that we've got good water flow all the way out.
SPEAKER_00:Sure, and I'm sure the the subdivision really appreciates that because that definitely is not something that you want to run into during uh rainy weather events.
SPEAKER_01:You do not. We do not want anybody's house to be subject to flooding in the city of Perry.
SPEAKER_00:So you talked about infrastructure and roads earlier. So one of the biggest, or yeah, well, I guess they're all big, but one of one of the major things that we're looking forward to, kind of looking around the corner and in the future, is the Commodore Drive Extension right-of-way. So give us a little bit a background about Commodore Drive Extension and where we're at now.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, Commodore Drive is a planned route from Houston Lake Road and will connect into 341 South. And it's a road that will be very, it'll be a mirror image, if you will, of the Perry Parkway. And we feel like that it is critical for us to acquire the right-of-way as that land is being developed. If we don't do it now, it will not be available to us in the future after that's developed. And we think it's critical that people have good traffic flow in and out of their subdivisions. And as those subdivisions develop in that Commodore Drive area, or if you want to the east area, they need this type of highway to adequately flow in and out of their subdivisions. So we're planning for the future. I I don't know when this road will actually be constructed, but we felt like that acquiring the w right-of-way was uh extremely important. It is a countywide project, and thank you to the citizens for voting the approval of the SPLOST. Uh this is a SPLOS project, and it'll be funded by the county for us to acquire the right-of-way, and as in the future we will have the right-of-way to construct the road on.
SPEAKER_00:Right. So that's kind of like, you know, whenever Perry Parkway was first discussed, everybody thought we were crazy. Yeah, it was twenty-five it was twenty-five years ago.
SPEAKER_01:It was a road to nowhere. But we can all see how it has developed and has served you know, the citizens of Perry very well with a thoroughfare. And we see Commodore Drive being the same type of thoroughfare. And in fact, I would expect that you would see from that Langston Road and Commodore Drive, of course, connect to each other at Houston Lake. And I would expect that becoming a three-lane thoroughfare from 41 all the way to 341 in the future to handle the traffic flows of the subdivisions that are being built out there on Langston Road.
SPEAKER_00:Mm-hmm. Yeah, and it's just another we're always talking about looking around the corner and that I think this is an excellent project that we won't see immediate results with, but it it's coming.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's something we've got to plan for. There's no question that if you fail to plan for this and all the subdivisions build out all the property out there, then you're gonna have a significant traffic problem. And we think that getting well ahead of that, and maybe we're 20 years ahead of it. I don't know. Sure. It we may only be 10 years ahead of it. But it's a project that's that we are keenly aware of and it's something that we need to move forward with.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. So the next project Bear Bridge Pump Station and Force Main upgrades. What's going on with that?
SPEAKER_01:We're well underway with that. We've acquired all the right-of-way that we needed to, and we've got the easements in place. This will be putting a sewer line in exactly where we have one today. We have a force main, but we have outgrown it significantly. With the growth that's going on up on 127, say in the woodlands or Wind River or, you know, Planters Ridge, those subdivisions, we have outgrown the capacity at this force main. So we're increasing it dramatically, and it'll flow back into the Perry Parkway sewer system. So it's something that we needed to upgrade to to accommodate the growth in that northeast area.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it seems like we talk about this often. It seems like well, not just this year, especially the past couple years. It's kind of the year of the infrastructure.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, it has been. It's something we infrastructure has been a something we've spent a lot of time on this year.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. So additional priorities we have the water sewer rate study findings.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, that's something that is critical. As we continue to build this infrastructure, you've got to have funding to do that. And we felt like it was important that the funding that comes from different sources be equitable. The people who are enjoying the new infrastructure that's being placed should have to pay for that. And we're looking at how we equitably spread the cost of these new projects plus projects that are ongoing within our existing infrastructure across existing citizens and businesses versus the new people who are moving into our community.
SPEAKER_00:Sure. And to kind of give our listeners a little background, this study was done by a third-party and very intensive study.
SPEAKER_01:It is a very intense study. It looks very deeply into the actual cost. It looks into our capital improvement plans over the next 10 years, uh, things that we're gonna have to be doing. And real the realistic thing that we're looking at is who benefits from this investment. And those are the people who the costs should be uh placed with. And so we're looking at there's gonna be, you know, our existing infrastructure will be something that we'll be focused on the next couple of years. And you know, all of us here have to share in that because we benefit from that. Right. But much of the new construction is put in place to accommodate the new homes and new businesses that are coming, so much of that cost will be transferred to those people.
SPEAKER_00:And as we've been discussing this study, it it's and I think it's also important to note that this study and the recommendations that will ultimately come before council, it's a recommendation and it's kind of like a living breathing plan.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, it is. It's very much like our strategic plan. Right. It's just a a rate study plan that says if if you do X, you should have to do Y. And so it looks at all of our planned projects in the future. It looks at various revenue streams where those are, you know, things that people pay on their water bill, or is it, you know, financing that we do that we have to uh service the debt and those type things. But there again, making sure we spread that cost equitably between our existing customer base and the new customer base that will enjoy the benefits of those facilities.
SPEAKER_00:Right. So from my understanding, so this recommendation slash plan, this will be reviewed pretty much on an annual basis. So it could change.
SPEAKER_01:It would yes, it'll be planned every year with our budget. I mean, we may choose not to do projects, our projects may be taken off the list. New projects, you know, critical factors come into play, and we have to change our project list out. So it'll it's gonna be a plan that will be looked at on an ongoing basis, and this is not cut in stone. Right. This is what's gonna have to happen each and every year. I think we'll we'll look at that every 12 months as we do our budget planning.
SPEAKER_00:Flexibility is key, is what I get out of that. It is very key. All right. So let's talk about emergency preparedness as well, because that, you know, I know with Hurricane Helene and everything, it really kind of opened our eyes to make sure that we, you know, double down our efforts to ensure that we're prepared for an emergency such as that in case that ever happens again. So one of the priorities is the Tucker Road Water Treatment Plant emergency backup.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:So explain a little bit about that.
SPEAKER_01:Well, like you said, coming out of Felene, we saw the devastation that happened at various cities throughout Southeast Georgia. And we feel felt like for us to go through a situation like that, we needed to have backup or emergency backup sources of power at all of our facilities. And the main one was Tucker Road Water Facility. This is a new facility we finished up about four years ago, and emergency backup was not included in that at that time. And we looked back and said, well, this is a critical thing that has to be done to make sure that we can provide fresh water to our citizens if in fact we found ourselves in the same situation from another hurricane in the future.
SPEAKER_00:Right, because we know hurricanes are going to strike and we never know how strong they're gonna be, and definitely don't want to take that risk. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you know, we're subject to all kinds of weather. I mean, you could have a tornado come through here that would do the same identical thing. That's true. You could have flooding, those things, but it's critical that we provide fresh water and sewer to our citizens when we go through those catastrophic occurrences.
SPEAKER_00:So speaking of flexibility, we had a PTV access to Heritage Oaks Park that was in the works. And of course, with different things happening and situations, we sometimes have to put those on hold, correct?
SPEAKER_01:That's correct. Um there was a change in some of the plans that were going on in that community, and the developer who is giving us the right-of-way or easement, uh, he's having to redo his plan on his plan development out there. So it we have to put it on hold until such a time as those plans are put in place, and then we'll know where we have access to those easements at that point in time.
SPEAKER_00:Right. So we're still watching it carefully. It's just we have to be flexible, right?
SPEAKER_01:We have to be flexible all the time.
SPEAKER_00:All right. So the last project that we're gonna talk about is one of my favorites, the East Perry Regional Park and that land acquisition. Let's talk about why an East Perry Park.
SPEAKER_01:That's where the vast majority of our growth is occurring out in East Perry, and and we're committed to providing quality of life experiences for all of our citizens. And if you're at Rosier Park or Creekwood on any Thursday night or any Saturday morning, you know that we're loving those parks to death. To death, yes. And we felt that it was critical, again, thinking the same way we're thinking about Commodore Drive. Right. If we don't acquire the land now, the land's not going to be available five years from now or six years from now. So again, thanks to the SPLOST and the voters approving that, the funding was approved on a countywide project for acquisition of this land to get in a position to build a park. There's nothing that says we're going to start construction next week.
SPEAKER_00:Sure.
SPEAKER_01:But we've got to acquire the land, we have to have it available to us, and as funding becomes available, we'll continue to develop that park for the citizens that are out in the eastern portion of our city. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_00:And that's why phases are really important with this, because you have to take it chunk by chunk sometimes, right? Or at least most of the time, I feel like.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I mean, it's very important. It goes back to us and our focus on strategic planning. I mean, just think. We five years from now we go, oh, we need a park out here to serve our citizens, but there's no land available for us to purchase. Because it goes like if the land is available, it's four times higher than what it is today. And I we just think it's critical to go ahead and get in front of that, uh, acquire the land, and then start planning for the development and what needs to go into that park. I mean, we need to really understand what sports complex is, you know, need to be put in there, what type of different type of offerings that we may need to take care of the different Again, being very flexible because it's amazing to me that the demand for different type of facilities change virtually rapidly. Yes. Because whoever thought you needed to have 167 pickleball courts. I mean, so you're just looking at what the demand is going to be in the future and then providing those type of facilities for the young people in our community. Again, soccer is becoming very, you know, popular with the youth, and that's probably one of the things we'll focus on in this part.
SPEAKER_00:We just got to pull out the crystal ball, right? Yep.
SPEAKER_01:We've got to keep guessing.
SPEAKER_00:Well, Mayor, this is a lot of priorities. I mean, and like we said, there's even more goals and projects that are happening even underneath the surface level of what we're providing to the public as our top priorities. So, what's one of the most important things for people to realize when they look at all these goals and objectives? What do you want people to understand with the high level of it?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I think looking at this, I think you have confidence that we have an outstanding staff in place here in the city of Perry. They're all uh very professional in the work that they do, and they're managing your tax dollars very, very effectively. And I'm extremely proud of the work that they do. And again, like I say, the City of Perry is a very complex business that we're running. And we are committed to using the tax dollars that the citizens give us in a very effective and efficient manner, and it goes to what supports their quality of life and their needs.
SPEAKER_00:Well, Mayor Walker, thank you for your update on some of the city's 2025 goals and objectives, and we look forward to the completion and and further developing of all these goals.
SPEAKER_01:Well, they need to start looking at 2026. Yes. Because we'll be setting in the goals for next year, and there'll be some of these will be continuing goals, but there will be brand new ones on there because we're gonna really start focusing on our existing infrastructure. Like you say, there's a number of projects that we continue to work on. We've just completed the uh bear branch upgrade of the sewer line on Bear Branch. That's not on our top ten list, but it was critical that we get that done to serve our existing customers, and this was an existing line that had to be upgraded. So we're constantly looking at what we have as far as our existing infrastructure and what we need to do to make sure it's functional as well.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. Year of the infrastructure or years of the infrastructure. So for our listeners, this episode highlights how long-term strategic planning pays off. Projects that started envisioning sessions a decade ago are now becoming reality. And at the same time, our leaders are already planning for the next 50 plus years. So we will put this presentation and other relevant information in our show notes. And Mayor Walker, once again, thanks so much.
SPEAKER_01:My pleasure. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks for listening to the Inside Perry Podcast, your inside look at Perry's local government. Take a look at the show notes for more information about today's episode. If you like Inside Perry, we encourage you to subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you around in our amazing community where Georgia comes together.