MACON, Ga. — Folks in Unionville Thursday had the chance to chime in on ways to improve their neighborhood.
They pitched their ideas to the Middle Georgia Regional Commission, which is developing the neighborhood's strategic plan. Neighbors had a lot to say. Education, beautification, crime, blight and eliminating food deserts were the topics of discussion.
"What do you want to see Unionville look like?" one woman asked the crowd at Bethel CME Church.
The blank slate was quickly full of new ideas.
"I'm just going to be here to listen, and I'm going to try to write the best plan possible," said Joe Black with the regional commission. "So, that way, you know it's airtight, and we can present to them. If we represent your vision and we write the best plan possible, I think that's going to put Unionville in the best place to move forward."
The Middle Georgia Regional Commission's Unionville strategic plan is part of a larger strategic plan for all of Macon-Bibb County. The county creates a new one every five years with community advancement top of mind. Wednesday's meeting was the first of many, Black said. The main goal is community input. LJ Malone had a lot to say in the meeting.
"A lot of our people are, you know, miseducated, impoverished, things like that. So, it leads to some of the conditions that you see today," Malone said.
He grew up in Unionville, but lives in a different neighborhood these days.
"You can take the boy away from the home, but you can't take the home... you know, whatever. But you can't take it out of my heart," he laughed.
Malone and so many others in the pews at Bethel Wednesday want the neighborhood to once again be the one they loved.
"We can begin to alleviate our blight issue that we have. So that we can have the residents not be displaced and build up the communities, you know, that have been underserved," Malone said.
Even though he doesn't live there anymore, Malone says he's ready for Unionville's future.
"I'm excited about the next meeting. I'm excited for us to get together again and, you know, us just kind of detail some of the things that all of us want to see, and actually turn these thoughts into a tangible plan," Malone said.
One specific idea he shared is replanting flowers on streets named after them, like Lilly and Pansy Avenue.
There's no date yet for the next meeting. The regional commission says they'll have several more through September and October to get more input from neighbors before writing and submitting the plan.