Nearly three years later Reichert is seeing much of that vision come to life.
Having grown up in Macon, Reichert looks back and realizes the foresight of the original city planners.
In 2007 and again in 2011 he was elected as the mayor of Macon.
Why was that decision made?
How has it benefited the community?
Let me start with the second part.
Consolidation seemed and has proven to be the right ticket.
There’s a sense of optimism, encouragement and enthusiasm that’s been absent in the community for decades.
We thought it would be a mutually beneficial relationship.
We’ve completed ourAge-Friendly Community Action Planand are now in the implementation phase.
We’re trying to ensure that directional signage for driving is easier to follow.
Again, let me answer the second part of the question first.
We selected Second Street because of its alignment in the community.
The street runs through the heart of the downtown and connects several different centers of economic activity.
As a result, the total economic impact is greater than the sum of the parts.
Macon-Bibb has been very successful in securing grants and awards to support projects for its age-friendly efforts.
What role did the local government and other community leaders or groups play in acquiring these funds?
One of the first successes we had was with the enhancements along College Street nearTattnall Square Park.
The changes improved both the park and the walkability and attractiveness of the adjacent street.
We had a good group of people working on that, including a very talented landscape architect.
We’ve also been selected for the White Houses Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative.
What do you most want people to know about Age-Friendly Macon-Bibb?
There’s a connection between economic development and community development and the two go hand in hand.
We’ve got little single-family homes and small bungalow-style homes on small lots in neat neighborhoods.
We’ve also got Victorian-era mansions, large two-story homes and, along College Street, antebellum homes.
There’s a continuum of housing options within very close proximity to our historic downtown.
All these things reflect what we’re establishing and doing to create a successful age-friendly community.
Karen Cooper is the AARP Georgia associate state director for community outreach.
