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It's good to see the city taking this issue head on...
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According to the proposed plan, the task force divided the county into 12 zones to map blight. The task force also added seven Shalom Zones: Beall’s Hill, Bellevue, East Macon, Lynmore Estates, Pleasant Hill, Unionville and Village Green. Shalom Zones are neighborhoods the city has designated for redevelopment.
Commissioners will have to choose from three options within the plan. Coney said the city can hire a consultant to oversee blight removal; contract the work to a firm; or choose a combination of both.
The proposed plan also contains estimates on how to spend the $14 million in bond money. Already, $2 million will be spent in the Beall’s Hill neighborhood for infrastructure improvements such as lighting, sidewalks and paving, along with $2 million for Wise Avenue for blight removal and athletic fields.
Most of the money hasn’t yet been earmarked for specific projects.
Three as-yet-unidentified projects will receive a total of $8 million, while an additional $1 million will be divided equally among Macon-Bibb’s nine commission districts for identified blight work.
All of those projects will be decided upon once officials have collected and analyzed the mapping data.
Coney estimated the remaining $1 million will be divided up like this: solid waste disposal/tipping fees ($700,000); community engagement ($200,000); blight survey app and survey stipends ($75,000); blight administrative training ($15,000); and a grant match ($10,000).
Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Virgil Watkins, who attended a meeting Friday to review information from the Detroit conference, said commissioners are enthusiastic about what they have seen so far.
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