MACON, Ga. — The Booker T. Washington Community Center used to be a place for kids to play, but now it's covered in spiders webs, broken glass, and has boarded up windows.
Macon-Bibb County Blight Coordinator Cass Hatcher says he hopes kids can use it once again.
"Try to make a neighborhood safe, make it walkable, and improve conditions for everyone in the neighborhood," Hatcher said.
The county commission agreed to buy the property from Friends of the Booker T. Washington Center for $190,000.
Commissioner Joe Allen is asking the commission to keep the Booker T. Washington name, and the next thing to vote for will be on funds for the project.
Hatcher says they even have plans to fix up the pool so people in the neighborhood can have a place to swim.
He says the county can use blight bonds for the project and tear down some nearby blighted structures.
"Allow people to feel safe and walk down to Lanier Park and enjoy it, and feel safe walking down to Pleasant Hill again, and not feeling like they have to be scared of what's happening in a blighted structure," Hatcher said.
He says the community center will be part of a bigger project to restore Pleasant Hill. The Community Enhancement Authority opened the Little Richard house this year and Habitat for Humanity is already rebuilding dozens of homes.
Hatcher says this blight-ridden neighborhood could soon turn into the next success story, like the Beall's Hill neighborhood.
He said the commissioners' vote means they can buy the center, but they will still need to approve of using blight funds for the renovations. The county issues a million dollars a year for certain projects to fix blight.