Houston Avenue improvement effort milestone marked

On Wednesday, April 10, Macon-Bibb County marked ongoing investment and focus on strengthening the neighborhoods along and around Houston Avenue. Crews and partners gathered to watch the demolition of the vacant and blighted building at 2988 Houston Avenue.

"The Blight Fight is about more than just demolition…it's about strengthening neighborhoods," said Mayor Lester Miller, noting this would be the 688^th demolition of the Blight Fight, which began in April 2021. That includes more than 150 just in the Houston Avenue area. "Removing blight is just the first step…we must reinvest in these areas to help keep more blight from happening. And that's what we're working toward in many areas, including here along and around Houston Avenue."

"Being a child of Bloomfield, this particular area holds a lot of memories for me. It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to my family," said District 7 Commissioner Bill Howell before relating his own memories of different stores and restaurants that used to exist along Houston Avenue. "I'm proud to be standing here with all the partners involved. And while I and others have memories here, sometimes we have to move forward so others can make good memories here."

The focus on Houston Avenue is a joint effort by Macon-Bibb County and its departments, private contractors, First Choice Primary Care, Macon Area Habitat for Humanity, and more. First Choice Primary Care - thanks to investments from Macon-Bibb's American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, the Peyton Anderson Foundation, and more - is opening a healthcare facility and pharmacy nearby to better serve families in the area.

"Our Board has had a longstanding commitment to this neighborhood, but we are now, with support from the County and other funders, we are building a new primary care medical facility," said Katherine McCleod, CEO of First Choice Primary Care. "We'll be able to provide primary care to anyone, regardless of their ablity to pay. We will also have a pharmacy that will be open to anyone, and you may notice there are no other pharmacies in this area of town."

In the past year, Macon-Bibb opened the new Frankie E. Lewis Park which includes a playground, pavilion, trail, and basketball courts…and replaces several blighted structures that were there previously.

"We must be purposeful and intentional about strengthening our neighborhoods, and I'm proud of the work being done here along Houston Avenue to remove the blight and begin building it all back up," said Mayor Miller.

An additional $500,000 in ARP funds - which was matched by the Peyton Anderson Foundation - was provided to Habitat for Humanity to take the newly created empty lots in nearby Lynmore Estates, build new homes, and help families become strong homeowners. The mortgage payments from those homes will create a revolving fund that would help build new homes for many years to come.

"We must leverage all of our resources in our neighborhoods to truly address the needs of our friends and families because it doesn't matter which side of the county we live in, what happens to one of us…happens to all of us," adds Mayor Miller. "We are all in this together."

The full press conference was broadcast live and can be watched by clicking here.

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