MACON, Ga. — There's a lot of buzz about the new projects to update the Macon Mall. One of the most talked about is the amphitheater Bibb leaders broke ground on last week.
The county is offering two community input sessions Thursday to give people the chance to say what they'd like to see added to the mall. It's all happening inside the mall near the food court. The first session is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The second is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
You'll get to see artist renderings and even chat with the design team.
If you say the words "Macon Mall" to someone who grew up in Central Georgia, you'll probably hear something like this.
"There was so much stuff to do in there," said Matias Terry, who works at the Office Depot next door.
"They had a wide variety of stuff," Curtis Burnes said, thinking back on his college days.
"You'd come to the mall just to have something to do," said Jermaine Brown.
Nobody seems to know exactly what happened to the mall, but most people say it's past its prime.
"I always found something new to do or look at at the mall. Now, I go to the mall and it's kind of like, 'Where am I going to?' and then I'll leave," Terry said.
Mayor Lester Miller is trying to breathe some life into the mall, and a lot of you are excited about the upcoming construction.
"It's a great idea, especially for the youth and the teens in the area," Burnes said. "That'll be a real good spot for people to come, as long as everything is regulated, everything's safe."
Terry says he's looking forward to the live music once the amphitheater is built.
"I honestly think that having something here for music is gonna be sick. I love music," he said.
Jermaine Brown says you can't go wrong with some change.
"Bringing the mall back is a good thing. It's a good thing to bring it back. Change is good. You can't never get enough of changing," Brown said.
Meanwhile, Burnes hopes there's a little something there for the kids.
"Have you ever seen those kind of like mobile gaming centers that kids love? It's like an 18-wheeler and they have a bunch of chairs and a bunch of gaming systems and stuff like that," Burnes said.
Lucile Robinson and Patronia Williams have both lived in the neighborhood next to the mall for years. They both said they enjoyed the area more when the mall was in its prime. They hope the new construction will bring better lighting, police presence and more money to the area.
Miller said last week he hopes the amphitheater will be open in summer 2023. You can get more information on the input sessions here.