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A downtown report card

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Wednesday, September 23. 2009
Comments (23)
There is no doubt that a downtown in any community is the raison d'être - the heart of that community - and the need to keep that heart healthy lies with a keen emphasis on continuous downtown focus and revitalization.

The phrase "downtown revitalization" is a buzz phrase that has been circulating now since the mid-1990s when box stores, strip malls and online shopping became the preferred method of shopping.

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#1 Anonymous on 09/23/09 at 09:04 AM
I love the downtown look, I like the beauty of the small town. The problem I see is we are only developing the downtown area. In my opinion our town "leaders" are trying to put a square peg in a round hole. Limited parking, limited shopping, and limited choices make it hard to keep the dollar in Barnesville. We seem to be happy with our "Event Days" (Buggy days, BBQ blues, etc...) that we forget that we need more choices in our shopping. Im not into antiques, so part ofthe town doesnt appeal to me. Certain clothes places only sell the typs pf clothes that please one crowd. So with that being said, why cant we develope around lamar county with the same "Style" as the downtown? Let's set ruls now that when someone comes into Lamar county to build they must build in the style and setting of the town? And when are we going to get a place where you can purchase a 2x4 after noon on saturday? Or a place where we can go eat and fellowship after church on Sunday PM? Just my thoughts
#1.1 DC on 09/23/09 at 09:41 AM
Very good thoughts. I adore the antiques though, I feel like that is the perfect atmosphere to an old small town feeling.
But along with that old small town feeling there should be variety of course to keep the local cash flowing. Good idea's of how to spread the downtown beauty and spread local cash if there were more variety. Let's spread it farther out and make B'ville a real show place that people would not mind going a few minutes out of the way to enjoy, I know some people from out of town that just love the new look of downtown.
#2 Anonymous on 09/23/09 at 10:16 AM
I think it needs a slight update. As much as we like to think Barnesville is a small old time community, we need to realize that it is in fact a college town. If you want real cash flow to this community you must stop making college students travel to Griffin to spend their parent's money. You can have the old time feel and new age material all at once. Helen Georgia is a great example of this.
#3 Anonymous on 09/23/09 at 10:28 AM
The downtown area is really a nice to see. But this is not peachtree city where golf carts are the means of transportation. If you have ever been to peachtree city you will notice that the golf carts have their own trails that do not hamper the flow of traffic. I say that if you allow golf carts to be on the streets that you should have to have insurance, drivers licences and insurance and also pay taxes. Not like it is now, with children driving them and hampering the vehicles that have the proper requirements to be on the road.
#4 Enoc Siuol on 09/23/09 at 11:29 AM
I can help but to believe how important it is to keep down town Barnesville prosperous.
Many years ago I moved away from Barnesville to pursue a career that rural Georgia could not support. I witnessed many small towns getting sucked into the outgrowth of metro Atlanta. The culturally rich small town environment was being replaced by malls and strip centers that had no interest in filling the void. Decades later, these towns recognized what they had sacrificed in the name of commerce. Presently they are doing whatever they can to restore what they had lost by spending millions get the hub of their community back in place. Many towns will not succeed and that they lost will be forever. Barnesville has something very special and we should all do what we can to
not let it slip away.
#4.1 b on 09/23/09 at 01:44 PM
I used to live in locust grove about 11 yrs ago. my husband and i and our children moved to fl. locust grove was a nice quiet town little traffic town dinners fireworks etc. we just recently moved back chose to live in milner. i love it here. i'm back home. i love the small towns around here trust me you don't want all that big city living around here. it will drive you crazy. you feel like you can't breath. everyone will become rude and short tempered if these roads get clogged and the schools get worse because of adding more kids. keep it the way it is you will be very grateful in the future. if you don't believe me move to fl for awhile you'll be back no you'll come running back.
#5 Anonymous on 09/23/09 at 01:19 PM
Oh real? New build? More strip malls in Barnesville. New strip malls near Atlanta st, Mill st and Carletta st. Congrats to the Barnesville and Lamar County community. Big town! Oh yeah. New shopping mall in Lamar County. Beat Pike County. Where walmart or target and sam's club in Lamar County?
#5.1 Anonymous on 09/23/09 at 10:01 PM
Wow. Only 1 out of 10 sentences in your post are even arguably grammatically correct.
#6 GM on 09/23/09 at 03:40 PM
The thing that would make Barnesville a nicer place is if they would take a place like the old Colonial store parking lot and build a parking garage. Eliminate driving in town and make it a walk platz. A trolly could run from the garage through Barnesville to all points and back to the garage. Basically turn town into a town in a park.
#6.1 Anonymous on 09/23/09 at 03:58 PM
I like it! There's a place in Shreveport, on the river, where they have this and it is a great place to go. It's family friendly and well done. There are numerous stores and the trolly runs. Maybe the IDA needs to look into it!
#6.2 insensitive but right on 09/23/09 at 09:27 PM
Do you realize how much a parking garage would cost? Taxes are high enough already. It would be cheaper to raze all the eyesores on Mill Street and pave parking lots, but who would want to park a nice car on that side of the tracks. The city could buy the lot where the buggy factory used to be (behind Brinkley's Day Care) and build a lot there.
#6.3 ScottE on 09/24/09 at 08:17 AM
While I like the idea of turning Barnesville into a walking mall Main St is a state highway so that is probably not a possibility.
#6.3.1 MINICoop on 09/27/09 at 06:45 AM
I think that's why they redirect the highway traffic down the 36 bypass...although most people headed to Thomaston go through town.
#6.3.2 anon on 09/27/09 at 12:12 PM
Really? What state highway is Main Street?
#7 Anonymous on 09/23/09 at 03:47 PM
Downtown is pretty but way too congested. There is not enough parking.
#8 Coming thru on 09/23/09 at 07:42 PM
Not enough parking...ugh! And red lights hold for too long. My ice cream melted in my hands waiting for the light to change...lol But seriously they messed up the Town when they added all those flower beds!
#9 charlessb on 09/24/09 at 04:23 AM
Take a close look, Barnesville hasn't changed,except for the college, since I left thirty years ago.
#10 cats on 09/24/09 at 09:12 AM
I like our little downtown.
It would be nice to have the bigger box stores available out on the 4 lane but I would like to see a book store downtown.
A record store couldn't hurt either.
#11 Barnesville Polymath on 09/24/09 at 09:25 AM
While I understand the bleak financial outlook of most small towns/cities across the United States I also see this period as a unique time for investment and reappointment.

With few people willing to travel an hour away to go out to eat or 45 minutes away to get to a bookstore or whole foods market, now is the time that many potential entrepreneurs could really make an impact.

There are not many grants out there right now. Banks are not loaning to small businesses. But let that not slow us down.

Main Street and its immediate outskirts are showing signs of despair as buildings sit empty occupied only by "For Sale" signs and "For Rent" advertisements. Tumbleweed is surely to follow.

But it has been said and I second it, this is slowly becoming a college town in some ways. There is money flowing in from these students that is not being invested into our town. Why not? Because other than fast food and a few select restaurants there is nothing worth the investment. Where are the books to buy? Where are the magazines? Where are the DVDs to buy and the CDs? What about t-shirts or shoes? Yes, I am being overly optimistic and perhaps living in a bubble but I believe that our city fathers and other business owners could rally together to devise a plan to bring prosperity back to Barnesville. We cannot always rely on manufacturing mills to provide steady jobs. Those days are all but gone for the American workforce. We need to evaluate the needs of our populace and cater to them. We must believe though - in ourselves, in our businesses, in our politicians. Without hope and without vision we will see our town wither away. Let's all rise up. Let's help each other and let's recommit ourselves to the very spirit that brought small towns and Main Street USA's to life in the first place!
#12 Anonymous on 09/24/09 at 09:41 AM
Andrew, New strip malls and dairy queen. Where atlanta and mill st. Did I send you picture?
#13 Anonymous on 09/25/09 at 03:37 PM
Barnesville could benefit by going "green". Sixty years ago there were oaks on the downtown square. One could sit in the shade an wait for Mama to finish her shopping. The present trees-whatever they are-do not provide the same atmosphere, the Barlett pears were even worse. The oaks were eliminated because of the leaf removal expense and falling limb liability. The buildings in Barnesville are not anything special They are just old. And those light fixtures! Whose idea was that? Have a look at Savannah. Savannah still has its oaks and ugly houses. The oaks are the treasure. Think about it. Buggy Days in the shade of magnificent oaks.
#14 Ignorant Hayseed on 09/26/09 at 07:48 PM
"Take a close look, Barnesville hasn't changed,except for the college, since I left thirty years ago."

Yeah, it has. LOT fewer jobs now. Of course, the Chinaman played the Industrial Development Authority for fools.

Brother Roberts kept that nasty junkyard out of the Industrial Park. Griffin sure enjoys the jobs/taxes when it went there instead, inside the city limits no less! Leadership and foresight, most especially since Carter's finally bailed completely. Clean industry, that's what we want.

And we have bypasses around the city. Works out well for all the in town blue hairs, not so much for folks at the 18/341 and 36/341 interchanges. But there is plenty of room in Greenwood Cemetery.
#15 anON on 09/26/09 at 10:09 PM
Come on with all the up climbing crime rate this city has?? Who in their right mind would open a buiness here?? Do you have the expence's to share with the buisness owners who loose a high dollar amount everyday to crime??
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