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Milledgeville improving downtown streetscape

Phase 4 of the city's downtown improvement project hopes to make one street a little brighter and safer.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — The city of Milledgeville is looking to make aesthetic improvements to its downtown area. 

Phase 4 of the city's downtown improvement project hopes to make one street a little brighter and safer.

If you're walking or driving down Greene Street, you may have noticed some changes.

"We had a good bit of shock. We didn't know what has happening and we -- it shook the building a little bit," said Nancy Buchanan.

The fourth phase of streetscape upgrades to Milledgeville's downtown came as a bit of a surprise to Century Bank and Trust, which has sat at the intersection of Greene Street and Wayne Street for more than a decade. But Nancy Buchanan says the change is welcome.

"Well, here on our Greene Street, we needed to keep up with our other streets -- the Main Street and also South Wayne Street, which fronts South Century Bank and Trust," said Buchanan.

The city will even out the sidewalks on Greene Street and make them uniform to match other parts of downtown. They'll also make them more wheelchair-friendly and add lightposts. City Councilman Walter Reynolds says that will help in two ways.

"Not only can we improve pedestrian safety in this area, but also make it much more attractive area and maybe encourage some new business to be developed around these blocks as we improve the streets and work our way from the center out," said Reynolds.

The lightposts on Greene will have LED bulbs. Other streetlights throughout downtown will be upgraded as well, thanks to a lighting agreement with Georgia Power. 

"LED light consume about 80 percent less energy than sodium halogen lights. Also, they put out a lot more light, so increased safety, lower energy consumption. Overall, it's just a better choice for the city," Reynolds said.

Money for the downtown improvements comes from a combination of the city's general funds and state and federal grant money.

This is the fourth phase of streetscape improvements. Reynolds says each phase generally takes four to five months to complete.

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