Announcements:
Changes To One Georgia Eligibility Benefit Southeast Georgia
The Region Twelve Advisory Council sponsored a workshop in early February for government officials and other partners on changes to One Georgia Authority funding eligibility. The One Georgia Authority, created by the Governor and the Legislature in 2000, utilizes one third of the state's tobacco settlement to assist the state's rural areas. Many counties in Southeast Georgia became eligible to apply for One Georgia funding as of January 1, 2005 . The workshop led by One Georgia Authority Executive Director Nancy Cobb and was held at the Coastal Electric Cooperative, in Midway. For more information about the changes to One Georgia eligibility requirements, visit the One Georgia Authority website at www.onegeorgia.org, and click on “program changes”.
DCA Launches Team Georgia
The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has launched, “Team Georgia ,” its new, coordinated approach to delivering community assistance services. The department has reorganized its field staff to help Georgia 's communities receive enhanced levels of service from DCA. A Regional Representative will interact with local governments and partners to facilitate community and economic development opportunities and provide agency assistance in each of the twelve service delivery regions. Additional staff, specializing in the areas of community development, economic development, quality growth, comprehensive planning, downtown development, leadership development, environmental assistance, affordable housing assistance, and volunteerism and community service will work together to bring a more comprehensive, holistic approach to helping Georgia cities and counties achieve their community improvement goals. For information on Team Georgia in Region Twelve, please contact Sarah Brockenbrough , DCA Regional Representative, at 912/239-9913, or sbrocken@dca.state.ga.us .
Success
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Better Hometown/Classic Main Street : Tools for Revitalization
In 1980, Georgia was one of six pilot states to begin a statewide program of downtown economic development called Main Street . The Georgia Main Street Program is based on the simple but effective four-point approach originated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It successfully integrates a practical management strategy with the physical improvement of buildings and public spaces, aggressive promotion and image building, and the economic development of the area. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) designates Main Street Communities in the State of Georgia . The agency focuses on economic development through downtown revitalization, heritage preservation and restoring a sense of place to produce fundamental changes in a community's economic base. The Georgia Main Street Program includes a small-cities program called the Better Hometown Program (created in 1997), which focuses on cities with a population less than 5,000 and the “Classic” Main Street Program, which focuses on cities with a population between 5,000 and 50,000 and above.
Currently, Georgia has 105 Better Hometown and Main Street cities that operate under the Georgia Main Street Program umbrella. Each designated city receives technical assistance, manager/board training, regional networking sessions and resources from DCA, which assist the local community in their efforts to build a stronger local economy through revitalization of the downtown area. Region Twelve is home to two Main Street communities, Brunswick (designated 1986) and Statesboro (designated 1990). Darien (designated 1998), Springfield (designated 2000), and Woodbine (designated 2000) are all active in the Better Hometown program.
Projects Entice Tourists to Re-Visit US Highway 17
Once a main route for Florida-bound tourists, coastal Georgia 's US Highway 17 depended on a motorist-based tourism economy that suffered greatly from the advent of Interstate 95. After years of decline, however, several local and regional projects have been initiated to re-introduce tourists to the rich bounty of cultural, historic, and natural resources that exist along the route.
The Department of Community Affairs is involved in several of these initiatives, including the US 17/A1A Heritage Corridor project. The 200-mile coastal route links the larger cities of Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, St. Augustine, Florida, with numerous smaller towns including Woodbine and Darien, two of Region Twelve's DCA designated Better Hometowns, and Brunswick, one of the region's designated Main Street communities. This tri-state project helps market US 17/A1A as a heritage corridor that provides travelers a pleasant, leisurely-paced alternative to Interstate 95.
The Altamaha River Project
(Comprising the following counties: Appling, Glynn, Jeff Davis, Long, McIntosh, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Wayne and Wheeler)
The Altamaha River flows 157 miles through the heart of Georgia , beginning near Lumber City and pouring into the Atlantic Ocean at the Altamaha Sound. As the largest undammed river east of the Mississippi , the Altamaha provides habitats to nearly one hundred rare and endangered species of plants and animals, as well as to thousands of other, more common, creatures. With everything from cypress swamp to marsh grass and alligator beds to osprey nests, the Altamaha offers a fascinating glimpse of wildlife to all those who experience it.
In 1999, a group of people from Chambers of Commerce, Development Authorities, local governments and environmental organizations from the eleven counties along the river began discussing ways to advertise this wild beauty to people outside of middle Georgia . Since that initial meeting, the group has grown into a loose coalition of nearly thirty organizations. Laboring under the slogan, "Sustaining the River that Sustains Us,” the group promotes its long-term vision: to preserve the Altamaha River 's natural, wild state while accommodating eco-tourists from around the southeast, and beyond. The group works to protect the beauty of the Altamaha River and nurture the creation of businesses that foster eco-tourism, like nature guides, tour operators, and restaurateurs. With guidance and investment from the Partnership and the communities it represents, the river will remain a destination unlike any other in the southeast: a place to entertain, discover history, and enjoy the environment.
Community
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