On Monday, as part of a long-term economic development project, Macon tore down its 200th blighted home in the city. Mayor Lester Miller and several of the City Commissioners held a press conference celebrating the milestone of the #BlightFight initiative and what it means for the community.
“This has truly been a team effort from the day we made the decision to truly attack the blight which drags down neighborhoods and makes us each less safe,” says Mayor Miller. “No child, person, nor family should have to live near these structures which attract crime, rodents, and other public safety and health issues.”
Last year, InsiderAdvantage covered the start of a major initiative from then-new Macon Mayor Miller in his effort to get rid of blight across Macon. At the time, Mayor Miller and the Commissioners of Macon-Bibb came together to start the “30 in 30 intiative” of demolishing 30 blighted houses in 30 days. The project was a recognition of Macon’s growth and contraction and now, as new growth comes to Macon, the difficulty of some homes sitting vacant for sometimes decades and what that means for economic improvement.
Miller noted the connected to economic development. Blight leads to areas of crime and it impacts the value of the homes of other hard-working people in the surrounding area.
“We all know that blight is not only an eyesore, it hurts economic development, it creates crime, and it causes people to lose hope,” said Mayor Lester Miller. “We’re in the business of providing hope to people, giving opportunities for everyone in Macon-Bibb County. This is a first small step in that process.”
One of the commissioners who spoke was Paul Bronson, a Macon native who was touched by the work of city leadership and how the community has come together to celebrate starting fresh and looking to the future.
“I know that this has been a long wait and a long time coming. As a young man growing up here in Macon, it really touches my heart. It really hit home to see citizens come out and thank us for knocking down these houses,” said Commissioner Paul Bronson. “Its more than just coming out and knocking down houses, its removing safe havens for criminals, unwanted eye sores and being able to stabilize the neighborhood and improving the value of our home ownership throughout the community.”
Mayor Miller noted that many of the demolitions are being done by the city itself, rather than bringing in private contractors, and that by using city employees that would be paid anyway and including the demolitions as part of their regular work, the city is saving tax money on the project. And the demolition itself opens the opportunity for increased revenue in the future.
To see the full press conference, and most importantly, watch the magic of house demolition:
https://www.facebook.com/MaconBibbCounty/videos/578815590266890
(the fun part starts at about the 16 minute mark)
