Columbus City Council: Travis Chambers makes first appearance, Carver Park and Double Churches Pool renamed

COLUMBUS, Ga. ( WRBL ) — It was a busy night for Columbus City Council on Tuesday – as more than 100 citizens gathered at the meeting. A number of topics were discussed.

The first order of business was the vote to rename Carver Park in East Columbus after the former mayor pro tem. Members of the Columbus Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., most dressed in red, attended the meeting in honor of one of their very own, Evelyn Turner Pugh.

Pugh was posthumously honored at the meeting after the council unanimously voted in favor of renaming Carver Park after her.

Pugh was a Columbus native who served on city council for more than 30 years and committed her career to her community. She served long past her diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, passing away in July 2021.

Another renaming is in the works, as the city council also unanimously voted in favor of renaming a Columbus city pool.

The Double Churches Pool will be renamed after Joni Ressmeyer, a former swim instructor known across the city for teaching thousands of children how to swim over a 50-year career. Her son, Miracle Rider Founder and Country’s Barbeque owner, Scott Ressmeyer, was at the city council meeting. He told WRBL the renaming is a perfect way to honor his mother’s legacy.

It touches my heart to know that there’s enough people in this community to care about what she did and the service that she gave her kids and our community.

Scott Ressmeyer, Joni Ressmeyer’s Son

Scott says his neighbor, Frank Brown, petitioned the council for the renaming. Frank told Scott it would be a remarkable way to rename the pool where his mother spent so much of her time giving back to the community.

Tuesday was also District 10 At-Large Councilor Travis Chamber’s first meeting. Chambers was sworn in earlier this month at the Government Center. He replaced John House, who resigned last year.

Chambers defeated businessman John Anker in a runoff in June. Chambers was elected to fill House’s unexpired term and to also serve a full four-year term that starts in January.

Here’s what he told WRBL going into his first city council meeting.

I’ve spoken with many of my constituents, and we have a lot of concerns in regards to Animal Care and Control, blighted community areas and a lot of zoning things. So, my phone has been ringing. I’m ready to get up there and make the sound decisions to represent my constituents.

Travis Chambers, Columbus City Councilor, District 10 At-Large

Chambers says he looks forward to working with his colleagues to better the community.

Concerns surrounding the treatment of animals at Columbus Animal Care and Control were also discussed in Tuesday’s city council meeting. WRBL is working to investigate this story. Stay with us on-air and online as we learn more details.

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