Mayor talks mall voting site, convention center, blight in monthly Q&A

Mayor Lester Miller addressed a range of Macon-Bibb County priorities during the latest edition of “Ask Mayor Miller,” a monthly recorded interview with The Macon Newsroom.

New early voting site at Macon Mall

A curbside storefront at Macon Mall — the former Sears tuxedo rental shop — is being renovated to serve as a satellite early voting location, Miller said. The site is not expected to be ready for the current early voting cycle but could open in time for a potential June runoff and is expected to be completed by November.

The project follows concerns raised by elderly and disabled voters about the walking distance from the mall parking lot to the Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections office. Golf carts were rented during the recent District 5 County Commission runoff as a temporary measure.

“So seniors will have a place to go right at the curbside … in that building that’s right there,” Miller said. “We’ve already begun to work on that.”

Blight fight moves toward eminent domain

The county’s next phase in addressing dilapidated properties involves attorneys working to condemn nuisance houses whose owners have not responded to repeated compliance notices. Those properties could be seized under eminent domain powers and eventually sold through 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.

Convention center and hotel plans move forward

County commissioners have approved moving forward with architectural drawings for a new convention center and hotel projected to cost $165.5 million.

“We don’t ever put anything on paper if we don’t think we can pay for it,” Miller said. “Nothing starts without planning, and we’ve got to have the architectural drawings. Those numbers go up and down.”

Miller also said the Urban Development Authority will proceed with purchasing the Marriott City Center Hotel so the county can control the land surrounding the new arena project. The Wilson Convention Center, adjacent to the hotel, is likely to be demolished once a new civic center is built.

Other items

— Miller said he remains hopeful the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park will be redesignated as a national park and preserve and that revitalization along Clinton Street could create a new park entrance, though that decision rests with the National Park Service.

— The mayor is also eyeing an expansion of the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail. The county purchased land north of Amerson River Park to do so, and Miller said he envisions adding horses and an equestrian trail there. Other possibilities, he noted, are more biking and walking trails. Those plans, though, are on hold while the county completes other “huge projects.”

Residents can send questions for the next “Ask Mayor Miller” to [email protected].