AC repair inPooler, GA

Looking for something to do this weekend? Live like Locals Savannah and Chatham County Parks and Recreation have partnered to bring community together in a massive way. The Mega Pop-Up and Farmer's Market will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Tom Triplett Park in Pooler. The market will feature 100-plus vendors, free workshops and fitness classes, a kids and cultural corner and live book readings and signings by local authors.

The event will take place the second Sunday every month except July and August. Ammie Dover, Operations Management Consultant for Live Like Locals Savannah, said the truly exciting part for her is that the event will take over the entire 200-acre park.

"I foresee and am excited to hear stories after, if you're talking to a neighbor, and saying 'Oh, I went to that, but I didn't see that,'" Dover said. "There's so much to see, and they'll have to come back the next month to see it all, and to experience it all, like the cultural corners won't be the same every month."

Dover emphasized that they wanted an event that would encourage all corners of the community to come together to use the parks, which she said some are underutilized.

"We want activities in the park to include everyone, so there's a huge cultural component to the event," Dover said. "We're holding space for that; for the first event, we have the Agenda Latina hosting a Latin corner to shed light on some of the beautiful traditions and cultures within the Hispanic culture."

The organizers are also having Unity in the Community offer a presentation on Martin Luther King Jr., and his accomplishments, mission, integrity, life and how people can honor that in their daily lives.

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In the front half of the park, there will be vendors and food trucks such as The Pot Wheeler, This and That, Savannah Sauce Company, Books and Black Coffee and more. In the back half will be the farmer's market with STUMP Savannah, Savannah Syrup Company, Tucci Greens, Schmoe Farms and more. Full list of vendors, authors, fitness classes and more can be found here.

The fitness classes, featuring Yoga, Worq Dance Fitness, a Total Body Bootcamp and Breathwork class are all free, but require registration.

"It was in our hearts to give it to the community for free, so we found a way to do that," Dover said. "We have amazing partners like JCB that stepped up to be our partners, and they care about creating environments where community can thrive as well, and that's what allows us to offer it for free.

Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com

Note: This article has been corrected to reflect the correct the correct salary amount, which is $254,744.11 It was previously reported incorrectly, and the Savannah Morning News apologizes and regrets this error.

Former Pooler City Manager Robert Byrd will receive two years' severance pay, according to the mutual separation agreement he tendered on Dec. 4.

The agreement states that the City of Pooler will pay Byrd 24 months' salary at his rate of $254,744.11 per year over the course of the next two years in normal payroll processing. The end of his 21-year stint as city manager took effect Dec. 31.

Byrd's latest contract, which became effective in January 2014, states that the city manager may terminate his contract with the city 90 days prior to the date of his intended resignation and would not be entitled to any severance benefits except those that are already available to other city employees. The contract also states that it "shall not have a specific term", meaning it didn't have any specific end date.

In an amendment to his contract, it states that if the city manager were to be terminated without cause, he would receive two years' severance pay.

However, in the agreement signed by Mayor Rebecca Benton and councilmembers Stevie Wall and John Wilcher in early December, it also stated that the document supersedes any and all prior agreements or understandings related to the subject matter, including Byrd's original contract and any amendments made prior.

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Mutual separation agreements are agreements between employers and employees, that lay out the terms of an amicable separation. It is usually used when both parties agree it would be better for them to part ways, and an employee waives their right to bring legal or disciplinary action against their former employer.

Pooler is governed by a council-manager form of government, where the manager is appointed by council and works with them on policy creation and manages staff during implementation.

Byrd gave Pooler councilmembers this agreement during an executive session on Dec. 4, much to their surprise. Now, incoming mayor, Karen Williams, and the new council, which will be sworn in on Jan. 4, will need to grapple with conducting a search to find a new city manager, as they deal with new developments, more people and money coming to the area.

Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com

POOLER, Ga. (WTOC) - New details Monday surrounding a Pooler City Councilman who abruptly resigned last month.

Tom Hutcherson was initially elected to Pooler City Council in 2020, but questions were raised when he stepped down less than a month before the election while running for re-election.

Monday, we’re learning back in October Hutcherson was given the choice either he could step away from his council seat or he would be removed.

WTOC found out what may have lead to that ultimatum through city documents our investigates team just received on Friday evening all of it tying back to his tennis instruction company.

Tom Hutcherson’s company website reads “clinics are available through the Pooler and Chatham County Parks and Rec Departments”

He teaches at county owned parks, like this one and is compensated by the city of Pooler. As this document shows, over the last three years he’s been paid $14,708 as a tennis instructor, with one of the more recent payments coming in May for $1,375.

In a statement to WTOC, Hutcherson’s attorney says in part quote:

“The fees generated from TH Tennis Services are used to pay staff, offset the costs of people who are not charged, equipment, and fees to Chatham County and Pooler. Pooler receives 20% of the fees charged to attendees.”

While being paid for those recreation services, Hutcherson served on city council... and as the records show, did not recuse himself from several votes on rec department improvements including a multi-million-dollar project for new tennis courts. Section 2.16 of the city’s charter says members of council are prohibited from

“Engaging in any business or transaction or having a financial or other personal interest, direct or indirect which would tend to impair the independence of his or her judgement.”

Hutcherson says he’s been running grassroots tennis programs for 25 years, far before his time on Pooler city council, and says he does it for the love of the game and kids. Adding it’s not a way to make money.

In a statement his attorney addresses the recreation improvements the former councilman voted for saying

“Mr. Hutcherson has no interest in moving his tennis classes to the new Pooler tennis facility. All of Mr. Hutcherson’s classes are held in Chatham County at the L. Scott Stell Park where he intends to remain.”

With early voting wrapped up and election day Tuesday, Hutcherson has an opportunity to get his council seat back.

Copyright 2023 WTOC. All rights reserved.

A 26,000 square-foot private nursing school and medical facility could be in Pooler's future, pending city council approval. Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday recommended for approval a request for the Galen College of Nursing.

The proposed use of the development is a mix of a nursing college combined with a medical office building, and would be located at 500 Mosaic Circle. Galen College of Nursing is a private nursing school that currently has 19 campuses across the country, with 13,000 students and more than 35,000 graduates.

"Galen allows students to streamline their education, for a fraction of the costs than going to a university for nursing," said petitioner Trenton Robertson, a senior consultant at Masterplan Texas. "They offer multiple degrees, associates, bachelor's, master's ... and we're now at a 90% passing rate."

At the Pooler campus, enrollment would be about 400 students, according to Robertson. The student base would be a mix of local residents and those from the surrounding communities, and there would be no on-campus housing available.

Planning and Zoning Commissioner Shirlenia Daniel said that although there are areas that service nursing, the majority of students commute to Savannah or Statesboro.

"We know that there is a decent size pool of candidates or residents here within the City of Pooler that this will service," Daniel said.

The proposed starting date of the project is November 2023, with a completion date and certificate of occupancy achieved by December 2024. City Council will consider the request and vote during their next meeting at 4 p.m. Oct. 2.

Wawa is coming to Georgia after city officials approved plans for what will be the Peach State’s first, news outlets reported.

The popular gas station and convenience store chain is opening a location in Pooler, a city of about 28,700 just outside of Savannah, WJCL reported.

The store, best known for its built-to-order hoagies, coffee and snacks, will be built on Pooler Parkway, according to the station. The chain was founded in 1964 and operates more than 950 stores across six states and Washington, D.C., its website says.

On Tuesday, Feb. 20, the Pooler City Council voted 3-3 to approve site plans for the new Wawa, with Mayor Karen Williams breaking the tie in support of the convenience store, The Savannah Morning News reported. The approval came amid concerns from the community about traffic and safety issues.

“You can’t stop growth in Pooler, but we can be smart about it,” Williams said, according to the newspaper.

McClatchy News reached out to Wawa for more information Friday, Feb. 23, and was awaiting a response.

This month, the chain announced plans to open more than 70 new stores with first-time locations in Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama.

“Since our first store opened its doors 60 years ago, it’s been an honor serving our communities with trusted quality products and convenience to most importantly offering comfort and camaraderie to local friends and neighbors,” Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens said in a news release.

Wawa reportedly has plans for more locations in Coastal Georgia, WTGS reported, citing a Wawa spokesperson. They include:

Crews will break ground on planned sites in Brunswick and Jesup on Thursday, March 7, a Wawa spokesperson told McClatchy News.

The Pooler location is expected to be finished by early 2025, at the latest, the spokesperson told WTGS.

Pooler is about 10 miles northwest of downtown Savannah.

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February 22, 2024 10:00 AM

This story was originally published February 23, 2024, 10:41 AM.