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ADICA looks to offer grants

• Groups looking to put on events in downtown Albany may soon be able to apply for grants that will help finance the events.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — Downtown Albany Manager Don Buie, who also serves as president/CEO of the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority, proposed Wednesday during ADICA’s monthly board meeting that the authority come up with a grant program for entities looking to hold events downtown.

“I’m thinking of a program that will give five $2,000 grants to entities looking to bring events downtown to promote the district,” Buie told board members. “(Legal counsel) Jay (Reynolds) and I will work on guidelines for the grants and bring them to you at our next meeting.

“I’ve gotten a number of requests from entities wanting to hold events downtown since I’ve been here, and I think this will be a good way to spark interest in the district.”

Buie also outlined the progress of an all-volunteer, 32-member community committee that has formed to promote downtown events. That committee is currently planning what Buie called “The Ray Charles Experience,” a celebration of the Hall of Fame musician who was born in Albany.

“Right now, plans call for a birthday bash (for Charles) on Sept. 20 that will kick off the Experience,” he said. “This just shows that if you get a group of dedicated volunteers, they can change a community.”

The board went into an extended executive session to discuss land acquisition before Reynolds asked members to approve a resolution that could prove to be beneficial to the Flint RiverQuarium.

“The state DNR actually owns the RiverQuarium, and it was leased to us through an intergovernmental agreement,” Reynolds told the board. “Part of the agreement involves state-required insurance coverage. Much of the coverage purchased by the state (which is actually paid for by the aquarium) overlaps the coverage that the RiverQuarium already has.

“The RiverQuarium’s coverage is perfectly adequate. I ask that this board approve a resolution calling for the state, if it approves, to delete the provision in our lease agreement that requires state-purchased insurance.”

The resolution passed unanimously.

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