‘Idol’ winner Ruben Studdard to perform at Albany’s Independence Day celebration

ALBANY — Downtown Manager Latoya Cutts announced during the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority/Downtown Development Authority meetings Wednesday that 2003 “American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard will perform in Albany July 2 as part of the city’s Fourth of July weekend celebration.

Studdard will perform at the Veterans Park Amphitheatre. Local acts, which have not been determined, will open for the R&B singer.

“(Studdard’s performance) will be part of a big weekend celebration downtown,” Cutts told the joint ADICA/DDA board. “We’ll have our first-Friday Flint River Roll bike ride on July 1; the music concert on Saturday, the 2nd; our Movies in the Park feature on the 3rd, and, of course, fireworks on the 4th.

“We’ll start our Movies in the Park series with a showing June 18 in Riverfront Park and will have a second movie June 25. Then there’s the one on July 3.”

Cutts announcement came during her director’s update at the boards’ monthly business meetings. Earlier, the ADICA/DDA board had discussed their budget for FY 2017.

“We’ll have an operating budget of $50,000, and we’ll use that money for events ($20,000), professional fees ($15,000, $10,000 of which will be used to pay for a yearly audit), advertising ($7,000), bank charges and downtown maintenance ($1,000 each), office supplies ($1,100) utilities ($1,500), training ($2,500), dues and subscriptions ($850), and bank expenses ($50),” Cutts told the board.

As he had at the Albany City Commission’s public budget hearing Tuesday, Rabbitman Footwear co-owner Johnnie Williams asked the joint ADICA-DDA board to change the boundary lines of its Central Business District to include his 125 College Drive business.

Cutts said that matter is currently being discussed.

“(Planning Services Director) Paul Forgey and I are having conversations about changing the boundaries of the Central Business District right now,” the downtown manager said. “It is the desire of the downtown manager, the desire of Planning and the desire of the city manager to expand the boundaries to include other downtown businesses.”

Board Chairwoman Thelma Johnson asked Tony Williams, co-owner of the family Rabbitman business, how the Williams brothers were coming along in their plans to purchase the property that they are currently leasing from ADICA. A city-owned skate park is located on the College Drive property, and Johnnie Williams wants the city to make improvements to the park to enhance events the Williamses hold there.

“It’s still in our plans to purchase the facility,” Tony Williams said.

Johnson told the Williams brothers the board would inspect the park and continue discussion at a later meeting, noting, “We’ve been pretty good partners, I believe.”

Board member Martin Carter said, “This is working out pretty good. We didn’t know you planned to do anything more than conduct your shoe business (in the 125 College Drive property), but you’ve brought kids down there with some of your events. You’re doing well, and we’re going to work with you.”