East Albany revitalization town hall topic

ALBANY — The fight against blight and revitalization of east Albany will be the focus of a Saturday-morning town hall meeting at the East Albany Community Center.

The meeting, hosted by Ward I Commissioner John Howard, begins at 10 a.m.

City of Albany Transportation Planner Kerrie Davis, who works closely with the city’s ongoing Fight Albany Blight and Adopt-a-House programs, will be one of the speakers at the meeting.

On Thursday, Davis said the purpose of the meeting is to bring east Albany residents together to let them know there is a program in place to assist them with minor repairs, such as painting, landscaping, installation or replacement of hand-rails, assistance with shutters or minor siding work.

“We can’t do roofing or HVAC or any major repairs, but we are adopting homes in east Albany and encourage those who live in that neighborhood to come out and apply for assistance,” Davis said. “We are putting about six months into small sections of east Albany hoping those efforts will make a difference.”

Code Enforcement Officer Angel Gray will also address attendees with information about blight, litter and related ordinances and regulations.

“We are trying to hit a bunch of stuff on Saturday,” said Davis.

The meeting also is designed to gain resident input will be used toward an overall east Albany revitalization plan.

“We are looking at current demographics, poverty rates, what east Albany residents would like to see in terms of businesses and improvements in those neighborhoods,” Davis said.

The East Albany Community Center is located at 1721 E. Oglethorpe Blvd.