The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACGG) has just selected Augusta-Richmond County as one of its 2012 Counties of Excellence, based upon its efforts revitalizaing Laney Walker/Bethlehem. The awards program, in its seventh year, is carried out in partnership with Georgia Trend, with applicants evaluated by a panel of outside experts. www.georgiatrend.com/March-2012/2012-Counties-Of-Excellence
The City of Augusta, in conjunction with its Housing & Community Development Department, has just released a request for qualifications to pre-qualified developers for Laney Walker/Bethlehem to develop up to three distinct catalytic projects in Augusta’s urban core, namely: adaptive reuse of the historic Penny Savings Bank, adaptive residential reuse of the historic St. Benedict’s Convent, and a new residential development at Foundry Place, located at the junction of R.A. Dent and Wrightsboro Road.
Contact: wcampbell@assetproperty.com
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History is presenting the work of Southern Observatory, a group of female artists working in a variety of media from printmaking to ceramics and painting. Now through March 31.
http://www.lucycraftlaneymuseum.com/
Plans for a community garden are in the works, as the Heritage Pine Neighborhood Association kicked off its inaugural meeting in 2012 recently. Details to follow.
www.laneywalkerbethlehem.com
Georgia Health Sciences University held a dedication ceremony this past Saturyda, Feb. 25, honoring the memory of John Wesley Gilbert with a monument on the site of the university’s College of Dental Medicine, where a public housing complex named in his honor once stood.
The newly updated Augusta Tomorrow website is up and running, featuring details about The Westobou Vision, downtown Augusta’s Master Plan.
Mayor Deke Copenhaver received an Honorable Mention as one of the 2012 Heroes of the New South by Southern Living Magazine for his role in spearheading the revitalization of Laney Walker/Bethlehem.
http://www.southernliving.com/travel/heroes-of-the-new-south-00417000077364
Water flows again in the third level of the Augusta Canal in the historic Laney Walker/Bethlehem district. This area, the site of a coal gas plant during the late 19th Century, will soon have a multi-use trail including a walking trail, benches and signs explaining significant historic sites and events in the district.
www.augustatomorrow.org
Sponsorship opportunities available for the 2nd Annual Blocks are Beautiful celebration of community, taking place at the heart of the Laney Walker/Bethlehem revitalization area, on Pine Street, Saturday, April 28th. More details to come.