Macon Recognized by Georgia Downtown Association

Georgia Downtown Award Winners Recognized at 2012 Statewide Downtown Conference

The Georgia Downtown Association and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs announced the winners of the Annual Georgia Downtown Awards during the Annual Georgia Downtown Conference August 22 – August 24, 2012 in LaGrange, GA.

The Georgia Downtown Awards were established to recognize individuals, downtown programs and/or businesses that have demonstrated unique efforts in making a difference in their downtowns. The award categories are based on the 4-Point Approach™ of downtown revitalization as developed by the National Trust’s Main Street Center and focus on Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring.

The Design Category for: “Design Improvement Program” was awarded to the City of Macon. Downtown Macon has an exceptional system of alleyways running parallel to all major streets. These alleyways historically supported pedestrian traffic but had become the back door to the businesses that front the main streets. The back door included areas where trash dumpsters were housed and where weeds, trash and homeless residents gathered. Two city blocks were designated as the Alley Improvement Project area and a landscape architect was hired to design and implement the project. Today, the formerly blighted area boasts a series of landscaped patios, a lighting system, and a network of paved alleys and walkways that solved existing drainage problems. Through cooperation between City departments, property owners, utility companies, a school group and careful bidding the original projects were completed under budget. The geographic area was expanded to a third block now under construction.

The conference theme, Georgia’s Downtowns Are Open for Business, focused on downtown development as a multi-faceted economic development strategy. Since 1980, Main Street Cities throughout the state have seen over $2.9 billion dollars invested and over 52,007 jobs created. This year’s event brought over 200 of Georgia’s downtown professionals together to develop strategies for bettering their downtown business district. As the premier conference on downtown revitalization in the state, the annual conference promotes downtown and economic development through public awareness, governmental relations and education. The conference provides an opportunity for downtown and community development professionals and state and local leaders to grow their knowledge regarding programs, activities and tools to aid in revitalization efforts.

As the premier conference on downtown revitalization in the state, this event promotes downtown and economic development through public awareness, governmental relations and education. The conference provides an opportunity for downtown and community development professionals and state and local leaders to grow their knowledge regarding programs, activities and tools to aid in revitalization efforts.

For information about the MainStreet Macon program, call Mechel McKinley at 478-803-2436 and follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MainStreetMacon and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mainstreetmacon.

For a full list of all awards presented, please visit www.mainstreetgeorgia.org. For more information about the awards presentation, contact Cindy Eidson with the Department of Community Affairs at 404-679-3101.