East Macon arts village project moving forward
On a cold January morning, Keniqua Smith's voice rose to the bare rafters of the old Bibb Mill auditorium.
The 18-year-old Wesleyan College student sang "Summertime, and the livin' is easy ..." as local leaders gathered to celebrate a new season of development along Clinton Street, off Main Street near Coliseum Drive.
During Tuesday's news conference, Macon Arts Alliance Executive Director Jan Beeland announced that an anonymous donor is contributing $211,000 to help launch the East Macon Arts Village project just blocks from Macon's first settlement.
"I know we've had a lot growing, going on in our community, but you can't forget where you came from, and so I'm delighted," said the Rev. Ronald Terry, who pastors a nearby congregation. "Remember, the sun rises in the east."
Ten weeks ago, leaders gathered at the dilapidated building to launch the Macon Action Plan.
The auditorium, built by Bibb Manufacturing Co. in the 1920s, will be renovated to provide a place to showcase local talent and entertainment.
The Community Foundation of Central Georgia presented the challenge grant, which led to full funding for the project from private donors and $813,000 in blight bond funds earmarked by Macon-Bibb County commissioners.
"For the last three years, our community is pulling together, pushing together, and our trajectory is vertical now," said Kathryn Dennis, executive director of the Community Foundation. "I'm so excited."
As people huddled in coats and gloves, Alex Morrison, executive director of the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority, apologized for not fixing the heat yet.
The authority bought the 95-year-old building in hopes of re-establishing its original purpose to provide a venue for local talent, for people like Smith, who also played her saxophone between singing verses of George Gershwin's aria from "Porgy and Bess."
"It was a struggle figuring out what to do with this gem, and obviously you've heard today the beauty that reverberates here and the ability for a community to really grow from it," Morrison said.
Smith is looking forward to performing again once the building is finished.
"I think it's giving students like me a good opportunity to showcase our talent," she said after leaders pitched shovels of sand in a ceremonial groundbreaking just down the street from the side entrance to the Ocmulgee National Monument.
Mayor Robert Reichert, who said he doesn't deserve any credit for the project, said he's been dreaming about a similar project after taking a trip to Bradenton, Florida, sponsored by the Knight Foundation.
The Macon delegation toured an arts village built in a distressed neighborhood near downtown Bradenton.
"The transformation that occurred not just in that neighborhood, but all around it, was just a marvel," Reichert said.
Commissioners Larry Schlesinger, Elaine Lucas and Gary Bechtel all applauded the effort to expand development outside of downtown Macon.
Bechtel, who said his north Bibb District 1 has the least amount of blight, joked about Beeland's efforts to meet the challenge to fund the project.
"My arm still hurts from the twisting that Jan Beeland did for about six weeks," said Bechtel, who played basketball in the building in the 1970s. "Her persistence is one of the reasons we're standing here."
Restoration is scheduled to begin Wednesday on the building which will anchor four blocks of revitalization in the historic Fort Hawkins Neighborhood.
"It just really is exemplary the way we get things done here that so many partners, even anonymous partners, have stepped up and gotten behind an idea," Morrison said. "It really is the way we are going move this community forward -- and that is together."
To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303 and follow her on Twitter@liz_lines.
This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 5:14 PM with the headline "East Macon arts village project moving forward ."