Ft. Oglethorpe receives RSVP grant from the Lyndhurst Foundation
The city of Fort Oglethorpe learned on Nov. 10 that it has been approved for a Lyndhurst Foundation RSVP (Renaissance Strategic Vision and Planning) grant of
$55,000.
The grant funds, says City Manager Molly Huhn, will be sent to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government (part of the University of Georgia) and used to help the city develop a 10-15year revitalization plan for the downtown and historic parts of the city.
Chris Mckeever, director of the 6th Cavalry Museum in Fort Oglethorpe, has been involved in many local revitalization projects, including some that have been funded by the Lyndhurst Foundation. “I stay in touch with the Lyndhurst Foundation,” she says, “to see if we might qualify for any more grants. I was excited when they offered us this one.”
Mckeever says a group from the Carl Vinson Institute will work with a local steering committee (still to be determined) to develop a plan that will address revitalization of the downtown
corridor in Fort Oglethorpe, as well as historic preservation and economic development. “They’ll help us develop plans based on their knowledge and experience assisting other cities and they’ll help develop a roadmap on how to implement the plans.”
Huhn says a steering committee should be in place by March of 2021. She says Mckeever and Mayor Pro Tem Rhonda James have already met with Danny Bivins, senior public service associate of Strategic Operations and Planning Assistance at the Carl Vinson Institute, who will oversee the project.
Mckeever says the steering committee will be responsible for, among other things, holding public stakeholders meetings to gather input from a variety of people in the community.