River Edge Community Service Board
Lack of funding killed the deal for River Edge’s new headquarters building planned for behind the QuikTrip at 2770 Riverside Drive, but instead, the board agreed to purchase the old Cadence bank building across from the Shoppes at River Crossing.
With a closing date in sight, Chief Executive Officer Cass Hatcher told the board at their February meeting that engineers are looking at a conceptual site plan with a goal to begin construction by May.
Hatcher estimates River Edge could purchase and renovate the three-story bank and build a new maintenance building for about half of the projected $30 million cost to build the original plans.
“We just couldn’t afford it. We spent a lot of money cleaning it up,” Hatcher said.
The initial site was contaminated by chemicals from a dry cleaning operation and River Edge paid to remove all the contaminated soil, bring in fill dirt and compact it to EPD standards.
“We have a clean site to sell as we move to Plan B,” Hatcher said. “If all that comes to fruition, based on the money saved, we’ll be under budget and won’t be breaking the bank to make this happen.”
Hatcher plans to meet with local foundations and Mayor Lester Miller to explore funding options for revamping the nearly 84,000-square-foot bank building at 4885 Riverside Drive and build the planned maintenance facility on the over 7-acre property that has an acre of greenspace in the back.
The main building’s first floor would contain the outpatient clinic, pharmacy and lab, with case managers on the second floor and executive offices on the third floor.
Hatcher said there’s enough room in the building to accommodate Big Brothers Big Sisters, which was displaced from 2770 Riverside Drive when River Edge demolished the existing buildings to make way for the now-defunct Plan A.
Macon-Bibb County owns River Edge’s current location at 171 Emery Highway, but is marketing that 17-acre facility for a potential site for a new V.A. Medical Center.
Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful
Macon’s expanded Cherry Blossom Trail will be a bit pinker thanks to a $20,000 grant from the Fickling Family Foundation.
The donation purchased more than 300 Helen Taft cherry trees from the estate of the late Wayne Woodworth, a former board member who was cultivating pinker and heartier varieties of the city’s signature yoshinos, which are susceptible to disease in this climate and only have a lifespan of about 30 years.
In 2024, the Ficklings pledged up to $50,000 to add other pink flowering trees and bushes closer to the heart of downtown where most of the tourists visit during the 10-day Cherry Blossom Festival.
KMBB board member Laurie Fickling is the great-granddaughter of William A. Fickling Sr., who is the co-founder of the festival who discovered a flowering yoshino in his yard and began propagating trees and sharing them with the community in the 70s.
Laurie Fickling worked with Macon-Bibb Parks & Beautification’s Michael Glisson in developing more pockets of pink in places like the new Spirit of Macon Park near Fifth and Poplar streets.
Dozens of Woodworth’s ornamental trees will be given away in his honor on March 14 from 10 a.m. until 1p.m., but KMBB Executive Director Asha Ellen said she doubted they would last that long,
“If it’s anything like any other tree giveaway, I think the trees will be gone in 30 minutes. So if you want a potted ornamental Helen Taft cherry blossom tree, I suggest you get there at 9,” Ellen told the board.
Not enough members were present to establish a quorum at February’s meeting, so Ellen told those in attendance to look for an email to approve this year’s budget request to Macon-Bibb County.
After three consecutive years of receiving $170,000, she’s looking for an increase for Fiscal Year 2027.
“I feel like our work justifies that, and we’re asking for 10% which would put that request at 187,000. So please review it, because before I can submit it, it needs to first be approved by the board,” Ellen said.
During the meeting, Janice Habersham noted the board needs to elect new officers in July and explained there are up to 11 open seats on the board that is limited to 28 people.
Ellen made an appeal for new members after submitting 10 names in June with only two candidates being approved by the mayor and county commissioners.
“So those other eight, I know at least four of them have reached out to me. They are still very interested. But the most I can tell them is, right now it’s sitting at City Hall. I have advised them to reach out to City Hall themselves, and let it be known as far as their interest,” Ellen said.
“Unless someone from the board wants to schedule a meeting with the mayor and other commissioners about how we can move this through.”
A three-member delegation from the board agreed to ask for a meeting at City Hall.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
