$3 million offered for ideas to enhance downtown Macon

Think you have a great idea to make downtown Macon a better place? The Community Foundation of Central Georgia wants to hear suggestions in a new $3 million Downtown Challenge.

Building on the success of the Knight Neighborhood Challenge in College Hill and inspired by the Macon Action Plan, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Peyton Anderson Foundation are each providing $1.5 million to fund the community's best ideas to revitalize the city's urban core over the next three years.

"We so often look to outside experts when in reality we have the experts here. Sometimes all it takes is a little money," said Beverly Blake, the Knight Foundation program director for Macon.

The renaissance of Tattnall Square Park and Magnolia Street's soapbox derby are just two examples of how grants between $450 and $130,000 launched the dreams of participants in the $3 million Knight Neighborhood Challenge in the College Hill Corridor between 2009 and 2014.

"It really shows me that the people of Macon love this place and they want it to thrive and they want to be part of the change," Blake said.

She can't wait to see the next batch of suggestions as the first deadline for applications is March 15 at noon.

Follow-up proposals from finalists are due in the fall in a solicitation process that repeats two more years.

Businesses, non-profit groups, government entities and individuals can find filing details and requirements at DowntownChallengeMacon.org.

NewTown Macon president Josh Rogers believes this latest challenge will benefit from the College Hill proposals that reached about an 80 percent completion rate in just five years.

"We're hoping for the same thing, only faster, because all the people now know how it works," Rogers said. "NewTown can help back you up, but we're asking you to come and do it. It's really cool."

Kathryn Dennis, president of the Community Foundation which is managing the challenge, hopes many of the thousand-plus people who shared ideas in the Macon Action Plan will again pitch their preferences for the funding.

After hearing from the community in a series of gatherings, the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority and NewTown Macon are striving to implement the MAP vision which calls for downtown economic development that protects existing businesses while attracting new ones, enhancing social opportunities while transforming public spaces, encouraging more people to live downtown and improving public transportation and parking.

Kaye Hlavaty, principal of St. Joseph Catholic School, was one of more than 50 people who gathered for the announcement.

"I went to all those Macon Action Plan meetings and I'm so glad the plans aren't shelved," said Hlavaty.

Rogers agrees.

"The danger of a plan, a plan goes on a shelf or it's left from on organization to implement," he said.

The more input, the better, said Alex Morrison, executive director of the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority.

"It means we're actually addressing the needs people have. Sometimes we can create plans in a vacuum," Morrison said. "We want to build the best version of Macon and that's what the grass roots effort gets you - a plan by the people for the people."

Karen Lambert, executive director of the Peyton Anderson Foundation, said the project fits right in with plans the late publisher of The Telegraph had for his fortune.

"He made his money in Macon and he wanted his estate to benefit the community of Macon," Lambert said. "As downtown goes, the whole city goes. That's a fact."

With the three foundations working together with the Urban Development Authority and NewTown, Dennis believes anything is possible.

"It's the power of partnership. If everybody does a little bit we can get a lot done," Dennis said.

The Downtown Challenge, which was announced Tuesday morning at a news conference at Terminal Station, is open to projects within the city's urban core and surrounding neighborhoods within the borders of Interstate 75, Seventh Street, Little Richard Penniman Boulevard and Emery Highway.

"A downtown can flourish only when the neighborhoods around it are vital and people are engaged and neighbors rely on that downtown presence to give them things to do," Blake said."

Dennis believes consolidation has forged a new spirit of cooperation and enthusiasm is gaining momentum.

"I think we are thriving," she said. "And there's an unprecedented energy and it's not just right this minute. It's been building."

To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303 and follow her on Twitter @liz_lines.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 10:33 AM with the headline "$3 million offered for ideas to enhance downtown Macon ."