Now that early voting is underway for the May 19 primary and nonpartisan elections, Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller announced plans to make casting ballots easier at Macon Mall by opening a satellite office by November. (21:15 into the video)
The walking distance from the mall parking lot to the Board of Elections has been a struggle for some elderly and handicapped voters, but during April’s Ask Mayor Miller program he said golf carts rented for the District 5 County Commission runoff were only a temporary solution when more accessible early voting locations were not available.
The county is renovating an old curbside storefront that was the old Sear’s tuxedo rental shop decades ago. The site won’t be ready for the current early voting cycle, but Miller said it might be done in time for a June runoff but definitely will be completed by November.
“So seniors will have a place to go right at the curbside, right there, in that building that’s right there. We’ve already begun to work on that, so we’ll have that. We’ll have the carts there, we rented those out until such time as we have that other part open. And I think it’ll be a close place for everybody,” Miller said.
The mayor also explained the next phase in Macon-Bibb’s blight fight as attorneys work to condemn dilapidated houses whose owners have not responded to repeated calls to bring them into compliance with county codes. (00:23)
Those nuisance properties could be seized under the county’s eminent domain powers and eventually sold by the Land Bank Authority.
“We hope to get more housing stock out there, more affordable for those communities, and do some in-fill housing,” Miller said.
County Commissioners also approved proceeding with drawing up plans for a new convention center and hotel that is expected to cost $165.5 million. (11:33)
“We don’t ever put anything on paper if we don’t think we can pay for it. So that’s just one part of the puzzle right now. We need to have some plans in place. Nothing starts without planning, and we’ve got to have the architectural drawings. Those (estimated cost) numbers go up and down,” he said.
Miller also said the Urban Development Authority will proceed with buying the Marriott City Center Hotel so the county can control the land surrounding the new arena project, and will likely tear down the Wilson Convention Center adjacent to the hotel once the new civic center is built. (14:15)
While Mercer University recently rezoned over 11 acres along Riverside Drive for its new School of Medicine, lofts, office building and parking lot, the mayor said plans are still being developed for the rest of that block along the river. (12:50)
Miller said if the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs does not build a new medical center off Emery Highway, the county has other prospects for that land. (13:50)
He remains hopeful the Ocmulgee Mounds will be designated a national park and that the revival of properties along Clinton Street could lead to a new park entrance, but that is up to the park service to decide. (15:00)
With these major construction projects pending, Miller also is looking for new uses for a house on land the county purchased north of Amerson River Park to expand the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail. (10:35)
A tenant is still paying rent to the county, but Miller wants that property to include horses.
“We expect to have an equestrian part of that as well, in front of that, for horses, possibly a horse trail, biking trail and a walk-in trail all in the same place,” he said. “So lots of things going to be happening there, but we’ve got other projects in front of it, so we’re kind of getting to those first because we’ve got some huge projects that are coming that require a lot more of our time than the trails, but we’ll be moving to that very shortly.”
During April’s program, Miller also discussed pedestrian safety and traffic enforcement, (4:00), road safety audits, (5:10), the county’s road paving program, (6:40), interstate lighting, (8:55), GDOT’s plans to leave behind a pedestrian bridge over the Ocmulgee, (9:35), efforts to reduce homelessness, (16:45), and politics, (19:20), and summer plans for the Atrium Health Amphitheater and Lake Tobesofkee, (20:28).
Send questions for Ask Mayor Miller to [email protected].
—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.
