Perry Chamber of Commerce recaps year with state of the community luncheon

The Perry Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual state of the community event Tuesday afternoon.

PERRY, Georgia(41NBC/WMGT) — The Perry Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual state of the community event Tuesday afternoon.

The chamber brought leaders from several organizations together to discuss what’s happening in the community.

This year’s event was hosted in-person after it was held virtually in 2020.

“With all these people that come to hear this, a lot of times this may be their first time that they get to hear these type of projects we have going on,” Chamber Chairman Scott Cox said. “This allows them to also get feedback from the group.”

One of the projects discussed was the new board of elections building. Chairman Tommy Stalnaker also spoke about the impact Covid-19 has had on jobs in the area.

“The exciting thing is we have been able to maintain in the Covid-19 environment in Houston County,” he said. “We are functioning at 100%, and we don’t have any departments that are not in operation at all.”

Stalnaker says the goal now is to fill any vacant jobs.

The Houston County Board of Education recapped recent additions to the school system thanks to American Rescue Plan funding, including new buses.

Robins Air Force Base leaders spoke about the base’s 80th anniversary and the base’s community connections.

“Our economic impact continues to grow,” Colonel Lindsay Droze said. “And we are just really proud to be members of this middle Georgia community.” Droze said the base has contributed $3.54 billion to the state’s economy.

Perry Mayor Randall Walker also set a goal of improving the city’s quality of life. He said he also wants to add some type of workforce housing.