Knight Neighborhood Challenge – Intro Montage from Tabitha Lynne Walker – Big Hair on Vimeo.

I thought I had experienced all of the creative ideas that Macon and College Hill have to offer, but when I began looking through the latest awards from the Knight Neighborhood Challenge I was pleased to be proven wrong.

We began the challenge in 2009, and since that time 111 ideas have received $2.1 million to improve the College Hill Corridor. And the great ideas just keep coming.

This is the first time that public art has been a focus, and there are 10 great projects on the horizon. One of the biggest includes a sculptural installation at Coleman Hill, featuring a work by artist Kathy Wright. I’m looking forward to how this project may bring more people into this space.

“Greening” our streets continues to get attention, too, and the addition of a rain garden to Tattnall Square Park will surely be a lovely addition alongside the magnolia walk and the paw-paw patch. Within the last year, this historic space has already seen the addition of dozens of new trees. Improving it is an important part of the College Hill Corridor Master Plan, and the Knight Neighborhood Challenge is helping guide the transformation. We’re also going to see the addition of 40 bat houses in College Hill, which will surely enliven the neighborhood while controlling the mosquito problem that accompanies our sultry summers. That’s creative and practical!

As lovely as the public space improvements will be, I’m especially excited about “Macon Conversations: Dinners from College Hill,” which will be presented by Georgia Public Broadcasting. People who don’t know one another will get to share supper in a College Hill home. Making those connections is an important part of helping our community thrive. Save me a place!

One thing is for sure: The people of College Hill—from students to seniors—love this place they call home and want to make it even better. The Knight Neighborhood Challenge continues to bring out the best in all of us. The next deadline is Dec. 31, and I can’t wait to see what folks submit.

Beverly Blake, Macon program director at Knight Foundation