Summer in the City: UDA at the Intersection of Cherry Street, Third Street, Mill Hill and More

From adding finishing touches to the Cherry Street streetscape project to implementing and enforcing a brand new PARK Macon-Bibb parking program in Downtown Macon, summer 2018 has been everything but slow-paced for your UDA.

 

The season began with a streetscape project led by UDA board member and landscape architect, Shannon Fickling. Cracked, broken and borderline hazardous sidewalks were being used on one of the busiest blocks of Downtown Macon. Shannon worked tediously to renovate the sidewalks of Cherry Street, from Second Street to Third Street, in addition to adding new tree planters and irrigation for sidewalk landscaping.

 

With the current available funds, only one block of Cherry Street was improved. But UDA has future plans to seek more funding and continue the design plans all the way down to Cherry Street Plaza. Projects like these sidewalk improvements on Cherry Street contribute to the overall presentation and aesthetics of our downtown storefronts and improve the quality of life found in the urban core.

 

The Mill Hill Community Arts Village project blossomed this summer. From flower pottery classes to dance classes, an array of community-friendly programs were hosted at the Mill Hill Community Arts Center. After petitioning to secure additional funding for residential artists, the UDA was able to staff the arts village for the next year. The artists, Jenny and Forrest Gard, have implemented a variety of programming that targets all ages in the Macon community. Since summer programming attendance was still relatively low, community members are encouraged to utilize the upcoming Fall programs that Jenny and Forrest will be hosting. Check the active Facebook page for updates.

 

Installing parking meters in July has implemented a parking plan that will be naturalized by the arrival of the holiday shopping season. As the managing agent of the parking program (and solution!), your UDA has successfully installed 900 parking meters in Downtown Macon. The PARK Macon-Bibb ambassadors have been enforcing parking regulations since the start of July, and the results are shown through the increase in business.

 

More reports from the intersection of Downtown Macon’s progress to come!