WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Warner Robins City Council still wants to keep the Independence Day Concert on the city's north side of town, but some people in that area say too much of the city is shifting south.
If you've wondered whether or not the south side of Warner Robins has seen continued growth, you'd be right, but people of the north side say they have seen things come and go and it's time for it to rise again.
"I just feel like, to me, value is where we place it," said Richard "Chef" Weldon.
Weldon has lived on the north side of Warner Robins for four decades, and the value he speaks of seems to be placed every where but his neighborhood.
"They're starting to place value in the south end of Warner Robins, Cohen Walker, out by Central Georgia Tech. Well, we can take that same energy and let's apply it to our north side of town," said Weldon.
People say there are vast differences between the north and south sides of Warner Robins.
As State Road 96 sees more growth, blighted buildings on the north side are left behind, and people say moving amenities from one side to the other also hurt the area.
"That pool really could serve a need over on this side of the town -- why take it out there? They took the tennis court out there, so things like that, they continue to move things away, sure decrease over here," Weldon said.
If you didn't know any better, you would think parts of Warner Robins' north side always looked this way, but councilman Derek Mack says the neighborhood he once lived in has a greater legacy.
"I grew up on this side of town. When I moved here, my parents, we moved on this side of town, it was one of the nicest places you could live," Mack said.
Mack was one of the councilmen who voted against moving the city's concert across town to Freedom Field.
"It's not necessarily about moving the concert, it's about tradition and preserving tradition in our city and not sending the wrong message that we have a tale of two cities," said Mack.
He says getting new life into the north isn't the responsibility of the city alone.
"The north side of Warner Robins is not dead. We have to do our part, but I challenge the constituents to sweep around their front door to make it inviting to new investors -- that's important," Mack said.
Councilman Mack says if you look at Warner Robins as a body, Post 5 is the broken limb. He also believes private developers should receive tax incentives to redevelop the areas.
The north side was once home to the Christmas parade, spanning from North Houston to City Hall on Watson Boulevard. It has been relocated to Cohen Walker Drive off State Road 96 since 2019.
The north side does have the city's newest sports complex, and Mack says the premise was to draw in more business to that side of town.