Macon-Bibb officials to consider $4.2 million in blight projects

Blight projects totaling $4.2 million are scheduled to be heard Tuesday by the Macon-Bibb County Commission.

The 15 proposed projects, spanning across Bibb County, include 12 buildings that are targeted for rehabilitation, 194 structures that will be demolished and 48 vacant lots that will be cleaned up, said blight consultant Cass Hatcher.

On Tuesday, each of the projects will be heard by the commission's Economic and Community Development Committee. Those plans approved by the committee likely would then go before the full County Commission at its Feb. 2 meeting.

"If these are approved, it would be a major milestone since these are the first 15 of many to be coming down the pike," Hatcher said.

The project list was culled from suggestions made by commissioners, organizations, churches and residents at community meetings. Each of the nine commissioners has $1 million to spend on blight, and another $1 million will be spent on waste disposal and community engagement.

In Commissioner Larry Schlesinger's district there are projects that would involve knocking down 10 buildings to make way for a community playground on Lynmore Avenue. Also, Schlesinger and Commissioner Mallory Jones are sponsoring a plan to use $223,000 to tear down 14 structures and clear three lots for houses that would be built by the Macon Area Habit for Humanity in Lynmore Estates.

Schlesinger said he's optimistic that commissioners approve this first list of projects and that the county can quickly move forward with them.

"I'm just happy we're almost at the point where we can start to see concrete results," he said.

Another project, titled Culver Street Commons, entails using $133,000 to transform 22 blighted buildings and vacant lots near Vineville Avenue into a recreation field.

There's also a proposal to make improvements behind Williams Elementary School in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood that would create a walkable environment for students.

In addition, six commissioners are pledging a total of $973,000 to restore the Clinton Street auditorium into a community center that will be part of an arts village near the Macon Coliseum.

While Hatcher works with commissioners to narrow down a list of contractors to perform tasks such as environmental testing and demolition, the Macon-Bibb County Land Bank Authority will attempt to acquire the properties.

That process is easier when an owner is willing to sell, but in other cases the Land Bank will have to use a foreclosure process, said Alison Goldey, executive director of the Land Bank Authority.

The Land Bank will prioritize some of the projects because of the large number properties that will have to be bought.

"Those (projects) where we have someone ready to redevelop them, we'll move those to the top the list," Goldey said.

COMMISSIONERS TO CONSIDER NEW ROUNDABOUT

The commission's Facilities and Engineering Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday on an agreement to pay for lights and landscaping at a possible roundabout at the intersection of Riverside Drive at Bass Road and Arkwright Road.

The agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation asks the county to pay for electric service for lighting at the roundabout as well as for landscaping maintenance, according to the resolution. If commissioners approve the agreement, GDOT could begin the conceptual phase of the roundabout.

The county engineer "believes that a roundabout at this intersection would be an effective measure for safety and welfare" of Macon residents, the resolution said.

To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623 or find him on Twitter@stan_telegraph.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb officials to consider $4.2 million in blight projects ."