Albany gathers input on downtown streetscape proposal
Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin
By Alan Mauldin
[email protected]
ALBANY — Albany’s younger citizens and adults alike got a look this week at streetscape improvements that would transform the look and feel of downtown Albany and, officials hope, foster future economic development in the city.
On Thursday, representatives with Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions Inc. met with about 80 attendees of summer camps being operated by the city, and that evening the reps heard comments at an information gathering session.
The firm presented preliminary drawings of its plan that will include road paving, new sidewalks and decorative vegetation, traffic-calming devices and other improvements.
Allison Young, who attended the evening meeting, said she was interested in the new landscaping and how it presents an opportunity to provide a habitat for pollinating insects such as butterflies.
“They’re discussing replacing the palm trees with shade trees, which is awesome,” she said. “I wanted to come in and advocate for the pollinators and for them to keep pollinators in mind in whatever they do. If you plant native flowers, they will come.”
Albany native Stan Logue remembers going “to town,” meaning downtown Albany, to shop as a child, and said he would like to see it revitalized as a center of activity. Columbus, Thomasville and Tifton have vibrant downtown areas, and Logue said he hopes Albany can achieve the same.
“I am very excited,” said Logue, who is a member of the Downtown Development Authority and Albany Utilities Board. “We are doing everything we can to bring traffic back to downtown. We had a thriving downtown, and I would love seeing it again.”
The Thursday sessions were just part of the city’s efforts to gather public comment in the project, said Albany Downtown Manager Lequrica Gaskins.
“We’re doing multiple modes of community input,” she said. “This happens to be one of them. We also wanted to hear what the youths think.”
Residents can get more information about the project or offer comments by contacting Ron Huffman of Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions at [email protected], or Gaskins at (229) 483-7665.
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