On Thursday, June 24, Macon-Bibb County will tear down the 125th abandoned and dilapidated house of the year, meeting the goal set by Mayor Robert Reichert and exceeding the total torn down last year. The house at 743 Monroe Street will be torn down beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Last year, Macon-Bibb reached its goal of tearing down 100 houses on the final day of the year, and at that time, the Mayor challenged the departments and community to speed up the process and tear down 125 this year. The 100th house of this year was torn down in late April, about two months ahead of last year. MaconBibbTV produced a short video of this milestone, and you can watch it by clicking here.
“The departments and agencies that got us to this point are to be publicly recognized, from Public Works to Economic & Community Development to Code Enforcement to the Land Bank Authority,” says Mayor Reichert. “Tearing down these structures is very important in our efforts to attack blight, but it is only the first step. We are now planning on how to give this program more focus and plan for the vacant properties once the building has been torn down.”
Addressing blight has been a top priority for the government for many years, with house demolition being the most visible. As part of its first Strategic Plan, Macon-Bibb formed a Blight Committee and Task Force as part of the Economic & Community Development and Safe Neighborhoods & Safe Communities Focus Areas. The groups have held meetings with partner agencies and in neighborhoods to develop a comprehensive plan to address blight, improve infrastructure, create a sustainable neighborhood model, engage the community, and continue the demolitions using $14 million in bond funds.