MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb leaders approved a more than $366 thousand dollar contract last week to build sidewalks along Hollingsworth Road in West Macon.
Reverend Ronny Lee Mays said he knows the neighborhood better than anyone.
"I remember all of these streets, except Mumford Road, with dirt, no pavement, no asphalt or nothing," Mays said.
Mays has served the neighborhood for more than 50 years, so he sees where his community needs support.
"Those with disabilities that can't walk, wheelchairs, what have you," Mays said. "They are those who get out every day. We see them walking up and down the streets, and they need a safe area, a safe place to walk and still in the street."
Commissioner Brendalyn Bailey is leading the movement to increase access to people in her district.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for us," Bailey said. "It tells the city and other people that are just coming into the city that the greater Bellevue community is a family-friendly community."
She says for the last thirty years, the Bellevue neighborhood was one of the most deprived areas in Macon. But now, 2018 SPLOST funds will pave the way for sidewalk construction on Hollingsworth Road.
Bailey is also hoping to create a park at Fair Street and Mumford Road. She is proposing two names for the space: "Fair Street Park" and the "Alvin Bailey Park," named after her father who lives on Hollingsworth Road.
"Mr. Bailey is totally blind, and he has always walked these streets," Bailey said. "Not only will it help Mr. Bailey in his later years, but the other individuals that are in our population as well. We have the Academy for the Blind right there on Vineville Avenue, and many of them live here in the communities with us. We definitely want to acknowledge their presence by making them feel safe and making them feel cared for as well."
Commissioner Bailey says it should take about 2 to 3 months for sidewalk construction to begin on Hollingsworth road. But with her park proposal, she is hopeful there is more to come for the Bellevue neighborhood.
"What we want to do is to provide the services for them that we know will enhance their lifestyle, that's going to give them meaning, and it's going to pay them back for their years of dedication to the Bellevue community and around," Bailey said.