Leaders plan to forge new vision for city Looking over potential design solutions for Columbus moments before the meeting took place are from left, Valerie Morgan, Columbus Projects Coordinator; Amber Murphree, Columbus Main Street Manager; Ben Wieseman, KPS Group from Birmingham, Ala., who is a city planner and landscape architect; and Jan Miller, Mississippi Main Street Assoication central district director. Sitting at the computer is construction architect for the Mississippi Main Street Assoociation Randy Wilson, of Columbia, S. C. Photo by: Kelly Tippett
By Dispatch Staff Report May 24, 2009
More than a dozen community members and leaders gathered Friday at Columbus' Main Street office for the beginning phase of a September design charrette, an intensive planning session usually involving citizens, designers and others who collaborate on development of a vision, mission or goal.
From Sept.1-3, Randy Wilson, Mississippi Main Street Association's contract design architect, and a team of architects and planners, will take input from community members to develop a conceptualized master plan for the city's unutilized spaces.
Areas identified to be included in the master plan include the Riverwalk, Propst Park, Burns Bottom and the Magnolia Bowl.
The charrette team, which has hosted more than 200 charrettes, focuses on four areas -- market analysis, branding and marketing, physical design and planning and implementation strategies -- for a "holistic" approach to planning.
The team has worked in such areas as Hancock County, Eupora, Westchester, S.C., Clinton, N.C., and Macon, Ga.
Along with proposing plans to better utilize land and architecture, other priorities are streamlining the city's diverse branding and marketing efforts, identifying what makes Columbus unique, making the city's gateways more appealing, improving upon parks and open spaces, including input on sportsplex design and location, and roadways, sidewalks and trail systems.
Information about the schedule of the charrette and how community members can participate will be available as September approaches.
After the charrette, Columbus will be left with a poster and comprehensive report, which will hold the results of more $60,000 to $100,000 worth of planning services.
Amber Murphree, director of Main Street Columbus, hopes the charrette can encompass a community vision.
"One of the main things about the charrette is that it can include everybody in the community," Murphree said, noting the effort will go far beyond downtown.
"And it's a great opportunity because this was given through grant money, so it's something we can definitely make the most of," she added.
The charrette is being hosted as a part of a $15 million Wired Initiative grant funneled through East Mississippi Community College, according to Bruce Hanson, of EMCC. A charrette also will be hosted by DeKalb, through the same grant program.
"I was happy I could get two charrettes in (EMCC's) service area, but I was extremely proud to be able to get this opportunity here at home," said Hanson.
The grant is being utilized by community colleges in Mississippi and Alabama to improve communities and educational opportunities on a regional level.
It is unknown just yet how much of the grant money will be used on the charrettes.
Community members involved in the Friday meeting include Columbus City Council members Jay Jordan and Susan Mackay, architect Sam Kaye, Main Street board member and past president Ruth Berry, Birney Imes and Peter Imes, of The Commercial Dispatch, Del Phillips, city schools superintendent, Susan Bell, of WCBI , Bruce Hanson, of EMCC and the Columbus Municipal School District board of trustees, Brad Belue, president of the Main Street board, Melissa Cook, of the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link, Tjajuan Boswell, of the Main Street design committee, City Engineer Kevin Stafford and Amber Murphree, Main Street Columbus director. Jan Miller, central district director for the Mississippi Main Street Association also was in attendance.
JW | 5/27/2009 10:49:00 PMmark as inappropriate I think it is good that they are taking the time to create a plan for the city. It is important to keep in mind what people might be looking for if they are shopping for a new town to move to. Things to consider for your list would be a public dog park, bicycle paths throughout the city, public transportation, and anything that would involve the town going greener with new construction, renovation, solar or wind energy, etc.
Dorothy Leonard | 12/9/2009 6:30:00 PMmark as inappropriate I purchased my home in East Columbus across from East Columbus Gym 13 years ago,Everything were beautiful, for my children, family and neighbours,now we have a river in the middle of a track, this is not health for our community,and our children, it is a health hazar, we will be pledged with insects and diseases. I don't know who's idea this was, but they has an-danger people lives especially children,I feel like I'm living in a flood zone, causing homeowner insurance to go up,and the value of our property to go down.
