MACON, Ga. — Soon, you could see some big changes coming to Macon's Pleasant Hill neighborhood thanks to a federal grant for $500,000.
The Pleasant Hill Neighborhood Organization applied for this grant that they want to use to reconnect the neighborhood after it was split in two with I-75 interstate construction in the 1960's.
George Fadil-Muhammad is a Macon historian who said he was born in Pleasant Hill.
"Deterioration ensued after that was done. And it was a process. You gradually seen the neighborhood begin to deteriorate from that time to the present," he said.
Fadil-Muhammad said the historically African-American neighborhood lost a lot of it's community presence because of the interstate's addition.
"Caused a lot of people to move away. Caused a lot of the businesses, whatever was going on- institutions began to decline," he said.
According to a press release from Macon-Bibb County, the grant will be used to create an urban design plan for sidewalks, streetlights, transportation, transit, and a new commercial district along Walnut Street.
Anthony Sapp and his wife Shavonda Evans Sapp live near Walnut Street, and they said the neighborhood can definitely use more safety features.
"Definitely the sidewalks. You can see a lot of the kids in the street and up the street here. It's not a good thing for the kids to be on the street," Anthony Sapp said.
They own a property preservation company called SappEvans Property Preservation, which they use to fix up some of the old houses in their neighborhood.
"It's a lot of blight going on. Like you know, like houses that need to be maintained," Shavonda Evans Sapp said.
According to the county's press release, "Tonja Khabir with the Pleasant Hill Neighborhood Organization said receiving the grant was a direct result of the development of the Pleasant Hill Strategic Plan, which was funded by the Downtown Challenge Grant and is based on feedback and engagement of more than 400 community members. It lays out several strategic priorities, including"
- Encouraging Business development
- Neighborhood Infrastructure
- Addressing Blighted Properties
- Access to Safe Streets and Reliable Transportation
- Quality Recreation and Public Spaces
- Interrupting violence and fostering public safety
- Celebrating Arts Culture and History
Fadil Muhammad said while he's thankful for the grant funding, he hopes the county finds a way to involve feedback from most residents about how the money is spent.
"We have not had one town hall meeting or forum about this infrastructure bill, or the grant," he said.
He'd like the county to find a way to get as many residents as possible to attend a meeting about how the money is spent, before anything final is decided.
"The residents have not been able to interface with mayor, commissioners, R.C.C, any of them. They have never called any meeting with the group. Ossoff and Warnock have never called any meeting with this community," Fadil Muhammad said.
In a press release from the county, Tonja Khabir with the Pleasant Hill Neighborhood Organization said receiving the grant is a direct result of the developing a Pleasant Hill Strategic Plan. That plan was funded by the Downtown Challenge Grant, and is based on feedback and engagement from 400 community members.