Georgia Communities Bounce Back (cont.)

To augment post-flood federal disaster relief funds, a county sales tax referendum and various city grants, local leaders organized a group called Albany Tomorrow, Inc. (ATI) to recruit private sector participation in the revitalization of the city. Specifically, ATI is dedicated to redeveloping downtown Albany by promoting the area's premier natural resource, the Flint River.

ATI began by conducting extensive research on downtown redevelopment programs across the country. Representatives visited Augusta, Charleston, Chattanooga, Columbus, Tallahassee and other model communities to see their revitalization efforts first-hand and meet with their experts. ATI’s organized, business-like approach enabled it to make financially sound decisions, develop realistic schedules and maintain credibility with elected officials, financial institutions, developers and the public. Ultimately, the best practices of these cities’ efforts came together in the $210 million Albany Downtown Riverfront Master Plan, which called for the development of a cluster of diverse activities and destinations around the river.

The centerpiece of the plan is the Flint RiverQuarium. Opened in September 2004, the RiverQuarium tells the story of the Flint River and the mysterious blue-hole springs that helped create it. The 175,000-gallon, 22-foot, open-air blue hole is filled with the fish, reptiles and plants indigenous to the river's ecosystem. Since its opening, the RiverQuarium has told the story of the Flint River basin – and largely the story of Albany – to thousands of visitors.

Other projects include an agricultural and natural resource center to make the area's outdoor world more accessible through local guides and outfitters; a 150-room hotel and 18,000-square-foot conference center; retail and entertainment districts on both sides of the river; restored historic business districts; a nature trail system connecting existing landmarks; a new Georgia Department of Human Resources facility; a 78,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art police facility and more.

Collectively, these projects represent a concerted effort to bring Albany residents and visitors alike back to the river, the basis of the city’s founding nearly 170 years ago and the focal point of an unprecedented redevelopment effort. Sometimes an area’s natural resources are its best resources.

Capitalizing on education in Rome

Rome's Berry College, founded in 1902 in a one-room log cabin, is a 28,000-acre liberal arts college recognized as one of the country's best by Peterson's Guide to Competitive Colleges, U.S. News & World Report, Money magazine and The New York Times. Berry College is one of a number of educational institutions that the city of Rome has leveraged to its economic advantage. Click for larger image.

Like natural disasters, the tides of industry can also effect great change in a community’s economy. In the late 1990s, Georgia was plagued with plant closings. From automobiles to furniture, candies to carpets, these plants had been the lifeblood of many mid-sized Georgia cities for decades. In Rome in 1997, the threat of losing a textile plant prompted community leaders to take action. They began by commissioning a study on the city’s economic and demographic conditions. Not surprisingly, the study’s findings were alarming, revealing stagnant population and job growth and many neutrally or negatively ranked economic indicators.

Given this, the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce took the lead in a consortium of city and county leadership, local and regional economic development authorities and an independent consulting firm to form Rome-Floyd County 20/20, a plan to guide Rome’s growth over the course of 20 years.

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