MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful and the county won six first place awards out of seven categories overall in the 2016 Keep Georgia Beautiful Awards Luncheon .

Pam Carswell, president of Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful, said their mission is, “to provide a better quality of life for all the citizens in Macon through three areas. Litter prevention, recycling, and beautification.”

Three areas Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful and the county won awards for. One of the awards, went to Amerson River Park for community improvement and greening.

“So many people have been out here and seen this,” said Sam Kitchens from Parks and Beautification. “So we hear every day about what a beautiful place it is and what an amenity that everybody from all walks of life can enjoy this.”

When it comes to recycling in Macon, Kevin Barkley from the Macon-Bibb County Solid Waste Department, is behind it all. That’s part of the reason he won public works employee of the year.

“It has grown tremendously this year, when we changed the program in January,” said Barkley. “We’ve gone from just over three percent diversion or our solid waste to over eleven percent.”

Carswell says Macon-Bibb wouldn’t get the recognition it has gotten if it weren’t people like Barkley, Kitchens, and the community. Together keeping Macon-Bibb beautiful.

List of Winners:

Community Improvement & Greening

Amerson River Park

Public Works Employee of the Year

Kevin Barkley, Solid Waste Director

Carolyn Crayton “Woman of the Year”

Beverly Knight-Olson

Student of the Year

Tarab Ajjan, Stratford Academy

Keep Georgia Beautiful Affiliate of the Year

Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission

Litter Prevention

“Meet in the Middle” Hwy 247

Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission & Keep Warner Robins Beautiful
Winners will travel to Washington in January to compete with other states in the “Keep America Beautiful” awards ceremony.