MACON, Ga. — This week, you'll get a chance to tell Macon-Bibb County leaders about your plans for Macon's future.
The Macon-Bibb Urban Development Authority and NewTown Macon are starting up Macon Action Plan 3.0 with an open house from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Fall Line Brewing.
If you're not sure what the plan is, that's OK. We went to some of the projects the original plan tackled and spoke to some Maconites along the way.
"My fiancée, she does a lot of running by the mounds and Amerson," Jason Bradshaw said.
"I go to Amerson quite a bit. That's my other place to walk," Chris Murman said.
The Ocmulgee Heritage Trail through Amerson River Park is a common favorite. Now more than 13 miles long, its expansion was one of the Macon Action Plan's first projects. It's still ongoing, but making progress.
"I don't know much about it, but I know they're going to do some connections and make it longer," Murman said.
That's the plan, as construction crews continue work on the 2nd Street bridge, which will eventually include a pedestrian area to connect the trail. That's according to county spokesman Chris Floore.
A couple blocks from the riverfront, downtown Macon's seen a lot of action plan work. The Cotton Avenue plaza has changed a lot. In 2015, Maconites dreamed of it. Now, it's a reality.
"All great cities of this size have parks and recreation and trails and things like that," Murman said.
Rosa Parks Square, across the street from the Macon-Bibb County Government Center, might be a work in progress. They've tackled some things, but there hasn't been a full renovation yet.
The county installed projectors to show Macon's bicentennial film series. There's also a Friends of Rosa Parks Square Board in place to plan further improvements. Improvements are where you come in.
"If we could get a children's museum downtown, that would be nice," Bradshaw said.
"I'd like to see some of the older buildings that are kind of dilapidated restored," Murman said.
This brings it back to the original plan that started work in east Macon, which still continues today.
Parts of that revitalization, like the Mill Hill Arts Village, are already complete.
Nearby, the county plans a major retail and lodging development, which could be a boom for the community around it.
If you have ideas for Macon Action Plan 3.0, you can head out to Fall Line Brewing from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday. If you can't make it, you can fill out an online form here.