2009 Project Riverway

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Project Riverway Coordinators: Danny Bivins (bivins@fanning.uga.edu), and Leigh Askew Elkins (laskew@fanning.uga.edu)

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4 Birdhouses

5 Bridges

8 George’s River Outpost

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6 Boardwalk

7 Kiosk

10 Park Signage

11 Pool

Project Riverway, a service-learning initiative led by the University of Georgia’s Fanning Institute, works with communities in the lower Apalachicola – Chattahoochee – Flint River Basin to advance creative, sustainable, and economically viable development alternatives.

Graphic Design Assistance: Eleonora Machado, UGA, Center for Community Design and Preservation

Chattahoochee Park

Chattahoochee Downtown

12 Children’s

13 Crosswalk

14 Medians

15 Brewery

16 City Park

18 RV Parking

19 Truck Parking

20 Streetscape

21 Welcome Center

22 Wayfinding

24 Trolley

25 Maps and

Museum

Trails

Fanning Institute: http://www.fanning.uga.edu/ 1240 South Lumpkin St, Athens, GA, 30602, 706.542.1108 Riverway South: http://www.riverwaysouth.org/ To download an electronic copy of this report visit www.riverwaysouth.org

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Chattahoochee Park Birdhouses

Birdhouses for signage could be widely used, from painting messages directly on the birdhouses to highlighting specific places or community features. In the parks, birdhouses and gourds can serve as a reminder of the importance of nature while helping visitors find their way. Eventually, a birdhouse walk or tour could be arranged.

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Chattahoochee Park Bridges

Bird Watching Opportunities The old bridge connecting Chattahoochee and Sneads should become an active part of Chattahoochee Park where it can serve as an ideal bird watching platform, a venue to watch kayakers and fishermen in and along the river, or a place to stroll and enjoy the sounds of the water.

Integrating educational signage describing native bird species, endangered animals, and rare local ora will provide the city with an opportunity to use the bridge as an informal teaching space as well.

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Chattahoochee Park Boardwalk Boardwalk Concept

With the new trail system being implemented in Chattahoochee Park, it is vital to provide maps and signs outlining the trails and connections. This can be best accomplished by placing benches and appropriate wayfinding information at each trailhead. The boardwalk is an important addition that will allow all pedestrians to travel through the park safely, whether on foot or in a wheelchair.

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Chattahoochee Park Kiosk

Trailhead Kiosk

A simple and easily identifiable kiosk design will afford visitors an opportunity to look over area maps and collect appropriate brochures. The kiosks will provide an excellent opportunity to educate the public on native plants, water conservation and recycling, or to advertise upcoming community events.

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George’s River Outpost

Outpost as Regional Attraction

The Outpost on the Apalachicola River will inevitably increase local tourist activity, attracting those interested in outdoor adventure activities.

Creating a space that can be used in conjunction with Chattahoochee Park and its trails will increase the variety of recreational experiences, thus drawing more people.

A stage, located near the main building, will face the river for local concerts and music festivals.

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Concerts, kayaking, and beach activities provide unique opportunities for area residents and visitors alike and will serve to increase interest in the park as a whole. Visitors can also have the opportunity to camp or rent cabins on the grounds.

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Chattahoochee Park Entrance Signage Attractive and Informative Signage

To create an interesting and unique entrance sign to the RV Park, the city could host an annual birdhouse building competition, where the winner gets to display their birdhouse at the entrance sign.

Antiquated RVs also provide an opportunity for curious, creative signage while practicing recycling. RVs could be painted with appropriate information and placed where no passerby could possibly miss it!

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Gholson Park Community Pool

Pool Restoration Concept

Restoring the spring-fed pool at Gholson Park would reinvigorate a tremendous community asset.

Because the infrastructure already exists, it can become a thriving communal space without requiring a large budget or time frame. This unique pool could bring swimmers from all around to play in the cool waters and provide residents with a place to seek relief from the Florida heat.

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Chattahoochee Children’s Museum Caboose Museum & Playground

The Caboose located in the downtown park is an ideal place for a Children’s Museum to tell the history of Chattahoochee and the story of the railroad. This destination would be an important element to draw families to the retail core of the town.

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Chattahoochee Streetscape: Crosswalks Pedestrian Safety

Crosswalks are vital when bringing pedestrians into the vehicular-dominated downtown area. They give the pedestrian a sense of control, provide visual cues for drivers to be aware of foot traffic, and encourage people to get out of their cars and walk. Downtowns must create the sense that it is safe to walk from one side of the street to the other, which properly designated crosswalks can provide.

Option A: Painted Crosswalk

Option C: Signage & Tree Barrier for Pedestrian Safety Option B: Mid-way Pedestrian Zone

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Chattahoochee Streetscape: Medians Planted Medians

Planted medians are important to the restoration of downtown Chattahoochee as they visually announce arrival into the town, framing the destination. Green medians can create a more pedestrian friendly environment by reducing the speed of vehicular traffic and providing a safety zone for people, especially from tractor trailers. Other benefits from plantings would include shade, visual interest, and an increased sense of place.

Option A: Grass Median

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Option C: Tree Planted Median

Option B: Flowers in Median

Kwilecki’s Brewery, Chattahoochee Warehouse Renovation

The metal warehouses on Alley Street in Chattahoochee provide an ideal opportunity for creative redevelopment. Many possibilities, including an art incubator, a general market, or boat storage are all appropriate, but the buildings might be best used as a local brewery. The shape and material of the buildings lend themselves to an industrial use without great need for natural light.

With one bunker used for brewing the beer, and another for enjoying it (a grill), the shaded area in between is ideal for an outdoor entertainment space. The third building could be a general use public building, farmers market, etc. Redeveloping this entire swath could revitalize the town by attracting visitors and providing a space for events.

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Chattahoochee City Park City Park Improvements

The revitalization of the downtown park could be a great opportunity for Chattahoochee to welcome visitors and introduce them to the town’s various activities. Outdoor seating adjacent to the welcome center, or restaurant, connects visitors to the small park, its mural, and the caboose.

Stage One: Doorways & Primary Landscaping

Stage Two: Umbrellas

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Stage Three: Shade Trees and Colorful Flowers

Doorways, window dressings, and colorful landscaping are necessary to improve the park’s entrance to attract visitors. Flower pots and umbrellas are simple, elegant ways to dress up the park, encourage people to linger, and give visual focus.

Flower pots are important for visual interest.

The park could become a central hub for downtown, a space for adults with a kid-friendly environment.

The welcome center will accommodate the needs of tourists and give locals a place to display artwork and gather together for community events.

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Chattahoochee RV & Bumper-Pull Parking Downtown Oversize Parking

In addition to the tractor-trailer traffic, the amount of RV and bumper-pull traffic in the Chattahoochee area is high, but no parking for these vehicles exists outside of the RV parks.

Therefore, adequate parking should be allocated for these vehicles.

The empty lot behind the caboose downtown is a prime location for oversized parking. Maintaining separate entrances and exits, there is ample parking for up to nine oversized vehicles and thirteen regular cars or SUVs.

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Providing parking for those in RVs is a must to encourage travelers to park and explore the town.

Chattahoochee Tractor Trailer Parking Because Chattahoochee is a significant thoroughfare for tractor trailers, it is important to provide oversized parking in an effort to encourage truckers to stop and eat in town.

By designating the lot in front of Betty’s Beauty Salon as a two-semi parking lot, the community is letting the long-haul drivers know that they are welcome in Chattahoochee.

Tractor-Trailer Parking Plan

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Chattahoochee Streetscape Downtown Revitalization

Downtown Chattahoochee has so much potential for revitalization with its beautiful brick facades and variety of building types. Its linear development is consistent with the town as a thoroughfare, which can be used to the community’s advantage. Chattahoochee should focus on getting travelers to stop, shop, and eat which can be achieved through a few steps in revitalization that are fairly economical and extremely important.

Stage One: Storefronts and Awnings Awnings that provide shade and large window fronts should be restored to an attractive historic precedent. Store fronts should reflect the character and intent of their interior uses through aesthetic colors, textures, and materials that respect the time period of their original construction.

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Stage Two: Street Furniture Street furniture, which includes flower boxes, street lights, trash cans and benches, should be added to create a human-scale environment for pedestrians.

Sidewalks invite people to browse the shops and congregate, and therefore should be aesthetically interesting, but most of all, shaded from the Florida sun.

Stage Three: Primary Landscaping Of all the potential improvements, plant material is possibly the most important step, as trees provide a visual and physical buffer from the sun and vehicles, and flowers and shrubs provide colorful, seasonal relief for the eye.

Stage Four: Street Trees Street trees give travelers a feeling of “arrival�, have been proven to increase sales revenue, and are a critical step in completing downtown revitalization.

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Chattahoochee Welcome Center RetroďŹ tted Welcome Center

Chattahoochee has two potential sites for a welcome center, and a desperate need for one in town. Both sites are in prime locations with plenty of parking and great visibility. A welcome center would allow Chattahoochee to advertise its wonderful natural assets and encourage visitors to meet residents, who might claim the welcome center as a local hangout.

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Chattahoochee WayďŹ nding Creative Signage

One of the most noticeable challenges Chattahoochee faces is appropriate signage and wayfinding to help tourists travel through the town without failing to notice the wonderful spaces the city has to offer.

Creative signage that can serve dual purposes, such as birdhouses, would greatly benefit the environment and minimize visual clutter. These sign types could also be expanded for use in Sneads, connecting the communities that share valuable natural resources in a visual manner.

Fish, specifically bass, could be used for signage as well. The shape of the fish leaping from the water resembles an arrow, thus fish-signs could be bought and decorated by downtown businesses to be used on unique and informative signposts. A fish-shaped plaque could be utilized as a marker for historic homes and buildings and placed upon the structures to correspond to a self-guided brochure tour.

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Chattahoochee Trolley Concept Homer Trolley

Of all the resources Chattahoochee boasts, RV camping and lakefront access rank among the most popular and most utilized. However, there is little connectivity from these valuable assets to the downtown scene. Adding a trolley, dubbed the Homer, that connects visitors from the Corps property to downtown could bridge the gap between camping and experiencing small town life.

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Chattahoochee Maps and Trails Vicinity Map

Connecting Chattahoochee

Chattahoochee has great potential to link its natural assets by way of signage.

Most of the recreational destinations are located within a one-mile radius from central downtown, a distance easily traversed by foot, bike, or car.

Since the connecting infrastructure already exists, i.e. roadways and trails, the next step is to highlight and advertise Chattahoochee’s destinations through signage in the parks, vicinity maps throughout the town, and brochures that can be taken from the welcome center or park kiosks.

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Corps Property Map

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George’s Outpost Map

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Chattahoochee Park Trails Map

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• • • •

• Stephanie Nickell • Kaitlin McShea • Ansley White

INTERNS:

• Betty Webb, Apalachicola City Manager • Joe Taylor

APALACHICOLA:

• Leigh Brooks, Naturalist • John Alter, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce • Angus Gholson, Naturalist • Grady Turnage, Historian • Jeremy Branch, Jackson County Board of County Commissioners, Chairman • Kathi Kilpatrick, Ed Kilpatrick, Sneads Town Manager • George Floyd • Tom Waits, Lake Seminole Association President • Charlotte Brunner, Main Street Marianna, Director • Charles Blume, Executive Director of the Apalachee Regional Planning Council • Bruce Ballister, Economic Development Planner of the Apalachee Regional Planning Council • Carole Rutland, Riverway South

Y O U S

Dr. Joe Whorton, Director, Fanning Institute Dr. Art Dunning, Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Dr. Trish Kalivoda, Senior Associate Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Dr. Shannon Wilder, Director, Office of Service-Learning

THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA:

• Lee Garner, Chattahoochee City Manager • Judy Bergantino, Chattahoochee Downtown Improvement Committee, Chair • Homer Hirt, Lake Seminole Association Board Member • Chad Taylor, Riverway South Board Member • Charles and Anne Thrash • Liz Sparks, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

PEOPLE:

• City of Chattahoochee • Town of Sneads • Jackson County Board of County Commissioners • Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners • East Jackson County Economic Development Council • Gadsden County Tourist Development Council • Jackson County Chamber of Commerce • Riverway South • Lake Seminole Association • East Jackson County Development Council • Apalachicola Riverkeeper

ORGANIZATIONS:

T H A N K

The fourth year of Project Riverway launched from the banks of the Apalachicola River with myriad opportunities before the assembled team. Revitalizing downtown Chattahoochee, with its historic storefront facades, improving opportunities for pedestrian movement, and providing alternative transportation modes were addressed, along

When most people think of Florida, theme parks and beachfront resorts come to mind. But another Florida — one that many locals call the “Real Florida” — sits waiting to be discovered. Instead of high-rise hotels or larger than life cartoon characters, the bass-filled waters of Lake Seminole, the quiet beauty of the Apalachicola River, and the historic charm of Chattahoochee and Sneads beckon visitors seeking an “authentic” Florida experience.

Student interns Kaitlyn McShea, Stephanie Nickell, and Ansley White did yeomen’s work — visiting with residents, elected officials and others to discover the dreams of both communities and taking that information to heart to craft the thoughtful plans that follow. Lee Garner, Homer Hirt, Chad Taylor, Charles and Anne Thrash, Liz Sparks, Leigh Brooks, John Alter, Jeremy Branch, Kathi and Ed

with wayfinding, signage, and additional recreational options for residents and visitors alike. Just across the river in Sneads, downtown restoration, recreational amenities, and the adaptive reuse of the former port authority docks quickly became the focus that will build stronger links between these two quaint towns. As Lee Garner, Chattahoochee’s city manager told us, “The river doesn’t divide us, it binds us.”

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Project Riverway would not be possible without the support of its nonprofit partner Riverway

Kilpatrick, George Floyd, Angus Gholson, Grady Turnage and many others inspired us. Tom Waits’ kind words reinforced that Project Riverway is a dynamic and vital program for small communities.

Revisiting the city of Apalachicola, inspired again by city administrator Betty Webb’s passion for her community, Project Riverway created a phasing process for landscaping Riverfront Park, recognizing that small steps towards big improvements can encourage communities to continually move forward.

In addition, the team looked at ways to adaptively reuse a historic cotton warehouse, owned by the city, and add appropriate signage to the community to assist in wayfinding. Betty and Joe Taylor were generous with their time, and we remain in awe of all they are able to accomplish. The designs created for Apalachicola have been published under separate cover.

Project Riverway faculty Fanning Institute University of Georgia

Danny Bivins and Leigh Askew Elkins

South, its executive director Carole Rutland, and its Board of Directors. Their support and friendship make this process work. We are also grateful to the City of Chattahoochee, the Town of Sneads, the Jackson County Tourist Development Council, Gadsden County Tourist Development Council, and Charles Blume and Bruce Ballister of the Apalachee Regional Planning Council for funding year four of this endeavor. Finally, we would be remiss if we did acknowledge the support we received at the University of Georgia especially from Dr. Joe Whorton, director of the Fanning Institute; Dr. Art Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach; Dr. Trish Kalivoda, senior associate vice president for public service and outreach; and Dr. Shannon Wilder, director of the Office of Service-Learning. We hope that you will enjoy this part of the journey as much as we have.

Regional Recreation Map Lake Seminole Greater Area Map

While connections between and through local parks are vital in creating accessible and attractive amenities, it is also beneficial to think in the broader context and consider the benefits of regional connections. Because parks and recreation are such a big part of this area, both Jackson and Gadsden counties will benefit from the eco-tourism and education that could be provided through a unified effort.

For example, Lake Talquin in Quincy offers nature walks, boating, canoeing, picnic areas, fishing, and lodging, and Blue Springs in Marianna has picnic areas, public restrooms, swimming, canoeing, fishing, and several scuba diving opportunities. Working with these regional draws to bring visitors through and to Sneads and Chattahoochee will only serve to increase the economic potential of the communities through increased tourism.

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Lake Seminole Advertising Icons Sneads and Chattahoochee are such iconic rural towns and would beneďŹ t from creating joint marketing and tourism related products that depict their unique sense of place. This could be achieved through postcards that capture the landscape or travel posters that highlight the recreational opportunities or character of the community.

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Building an eco-tourism market in both towns could easily be jump-started with informational brochures about the area wildlife and abundant recreational opportunities.

Lake Seminole Cottage Boats Cottage Boat Concept

These cottage boats, similar to pontoon boats, would be constructed using wood materials and afďŹ xed to the shore. Each cottage boat will have a dock station to encourage water travel whether by canoe, kayak or motorboat. The proposed designs show cottage boats constructed in the shotgun style with small boat Cottage Boat Layout docks. The design can be as simple as a one-room shelter for campers, or can be as complicated as four or ďŹ ve rooms for groups or families.

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Lake Seminole Cottage Boats Cottage Boat Concept

The most valuable asset to both Sneads and Chattahoochee is Lake Seminole, which serves as the physical connection between the communities for recreation, tourism, and commerce. Visitors to the area, however, need places to stay as there are insufďŹ cient hotel rooms available. One solution to this problem is to build low-cost, low-maintenance cottage boats along the lake in different locations, allowing more overnight stays and unique lodging experiences for visitors to both communities.

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Cottage Boat Layouts

Marianna Officer’s Courtyard – Jackson County

Firefly Courtyard

The old Officer’s Club in Marianna has not hosted parties in many decades, but holds great potential for an outdoor space. Simply clearing the dance floor and sprucing up the building facades would allow the area to be usable for banquets and celebrations, both public and private. The secluded location gives the courtyard an air of mystery rarely found in today’s hectic world, making it the perfect regional hotspot.

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Sneads Trail Connections

By re-opening the road between Sneads’ lakeside park and Three Rivers State Park as a walking, biking and horseback riding trail, new recreational opportunities would be realized for residents and visitors alike.

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Wildlife Management Trails

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Sneads Maps and Trails Downtown Sneads Map

Connecting Sneads

The City of Sneads can enhance and utilize existing and proposed amenities by emphasizing connections. The historic downtown of Sneads could be revived if community events and celebrations are regularly held in the area and more focus is placed on rebuilding the business district.

Many travelers are looking for opportunities to divert from major roadways, and Sneads’ downtown could become a destination.

Sneads Area Map

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Sneads Park to Three Rivers Park Community Trail Connections

The abandoned roadway that once linked Sneads Lake Park to Three Rivers State Park provides an ideal pedestrian route between the two sites and an outstanding opportunity to increase community connections. Whether taken on foot, bicycle or horseback, a safe trail between the parks will provide opportunities for birdwatching, plant-identiďŹ cation excursions or shady rides through the forest.

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Sneads Recreation Park Shade Trees Shade Trees as Community Asset Carefully sited plantings would provide natural shelter and relief from the hot Florida sun for ballgame spectators without obstructing views and create ideal spots for additional benches and picnic tables.

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Sneads Recreation Park Shade Trees Shade Trees as Investment Sneads Park is a wonderful community asset. From the playground to the carefully manicured ball ďŹ elds, these spaces are unmatched by many larger communities. The lively and busy park would, however, beneďŹ t greatly from shade trees.

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Sneads Recreational Park Pool

One feature that is missing from the town of Sneads is a community swimming pool. Adding a pool to the Recreation Park will provide residents and visitors alike with a cool place to escape the Florida heat. Because of the potentially dangerous alligators, many people don’t swim in the lake or river, but a community pool will provide a safe alternative for fun in the water. With the pool in close proximity to the playground and main building, easy access to restrooms and concessions are already available. Trees bordering the paved pool deck provide extra shade, and umbrellas will shade the tables and chairs. The community pool can also become a revenue generator for Sneads by charging visitors an entrance fee and renting the pool out to community members for birthday parties, family reunions, and other celebrations.

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Sneads Greenway Connections

Multi-use Trail for Sneads

Sneads has tremendous natural and recreational assets, and a trail or greenway system to link these resources is an important next step for the community. Currently, the ball ďŹ elds are an activity center for Sneads, and providing for safe pedestrian access will only increase its value to the community. A designated trail would allow adults and children to arrive via foot, bicycle, rollerblade or skateboard.

Planting trees along the trail will not only enhance its beauty and provide shady relief, but will also serve as a protective barrier from roadway trafďŹ c.

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Lake Seminole Overlook

Historic Lake Overlook

The scenic overlook located in Sneads near the dam has the potential to be an “educational overlook.” Displays highlighting historical information on the river’s use in trade and industry and about the significant Native American populations that once inhabited the area will generate visits from residents and tourists alike.

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Option A

Option B

Sneads Main Street Corridor Streetscape as Investment Currently, the Main Street Corridor is disconnected.

Sneads Recreational Park does not connect to the existing sidewalk, and there is no incentive for pedestrians.

Adding street trees and finishing the sidewalk provides a physical safety barrier for pedestrians. This link establishes the connection from the Main Street to Sneads Recreational Park, which in turn feeds into the greater area Greenway Trail.

Citizens of Sneads, or school classrooms, could donate and adopt plants, therefore taking a pointed interest in the welfare of the streetscaping. It is a great opportunity to learn while beautifying Sneads.

Colorful shrubs and flowers bring the Corridor down to a human scale, encouraging bikers, runners and pedestrians.

Installing a planted median further slows traffic while providing beauty for the whole community. Shade trees and shrubs have multiple purposes of creating wildlife habitat, reducing storm water runoff, and reducing mowable area.

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Sneads Main Street Corridor Identifying Main Street

The Main Street Corridor is one of the most traveled routes in Sneads, yet it has no distinct character. Adding street trees would greatly improve the appearance of the road, help to slow trafďŹ c speeds, and provide a buffer between cars and the existing sidewalk. It is a minimal investment for public safety and beauty.

Added street trees to image one

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image one

Added street trees to image two

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Providing safe pedestrian access throughout the Sneads area gives alternative transportation options to children, the elderly, and families.

Sneads Annual Film Festival Fertilizer Mill to Film Venue

The old fertilizer warehouse in Sneads has been deteriorating since its doors closed, but there is much evidence of continued, unauthorized use of this space as an informal gathering site. The riverside warehouse can be transformed into an ideal location for an annual river ďŹ lm festival or a year-round outdoor movie and music venue. With minimal expense, the restrooms can be restored, a small concession stand added, and a projection screen erected.

Visitors can bring their own chairs or blankets to enjoy a show and relax in a unique setting that will celebrate the industrial heritage of the site and give new purpose to the once thriving facility.

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Sneads Annual Founding Festival Community Festival

Downtown Sneads can become a community hub and center of activity. To bring people into the area, planned community events should be put into place. As with the farmer’s market, pumpkin patch and tree farms, a Founders Festival could aid in this effort. It would be a day devoted to the history and celebration of Sneads and its founders.

This could include local artists, homemade ice cream contests, and live music concerts.

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Downtown Sneads Wildflower Plot Simply Beautifying

The vacant lot on the corner provides an ideal space for a wildflower garden, which will beautify the streetscape and will cost next to nothing to maintain. It should be open to the public to encourage people to come into town. The lot can also be used as a multipurpose space, where seasonal sales and events can take place (Christmas trees, pumpkins, or a farmer’s market). This lot can also be used as a space for community celebrations.

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Downtown Sneads Bike Rental Bike Rentals for Visitor Transportation The bike rental shop would provide residents or visitors a means to connect from downtown Sneads to other local attractions, such as Sneads Park, the recreation park, the scenic overlook site, or Lake Seminole. Guests from RV parks and hotels in Sneads could easily tour the town by bike, and travelers from the lake could rent a bike for the day and visit downtown. These connections will increase pedestrian trafďŹ c downtown and throughout the community, therefore increasing economic development opportunities as well.

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Downtown Sneads Depot Grill Train Viewing as Regional Draw

The buildings located adjacent to the rail line in downtown are ideal locations for new restaurants. An outdoor patio would allow people to watch the trains go by as they dine or enjoy a drink at an outdoor bar. This location will give people the views and experiences that shaped Sneads’ unique sense of place.

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Downtown Sneads Youth Center

Youth Center

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The kids’ hangout building would give the young people of Sneads a safe and fun place to gather, and perhaps be an afterschool day camp location.

The final stage of the downtown revitalization is to rehabilitate buildings downtown to make them ready for occupancy. The drawings illustrate some examples of how the buildings can be utilized: a café, kids’ hangout, antique shop, bike rental shop.

Downtown Sneads Streetscape Street Signage

Appropriate signage is necessary in creating a successful downtown. Visitors need to know where they are and what activities are available. Because downtown Sneads has its own style and feel when it comes to the architecture and landscape, it important to create signage that incorporates that existing identity. Old fashioned street signs atop stop signs, wooden directional signs on light posts, and rustic metal advertisement signs are all appropriate options.

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Downtown Sneads Streetscape Entrance Landscaping

Corner landscaping in downtown Sneads is vital to the rehabillitation of the community. Landscaping subtly lets visitors know that they have arrived at a destination, has been proven to slow trafďŹ c speeds, and creates a sense of pride in community. Orderly street trees and attractive shrubs can greatly enhance the character of downtown Sneads.

Stage One: Street Trees

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Stage Three: Street and Building Landscaping

Stage Two: Corner Landscaping

Downtown Sneads Revitalization Stage Three: Landscaping Adding trees for shade will make downtown a more comfortable place to visit. The lack of shade makes the area nearly unbearable, especially during the summer months. As important, street trees are aesthetically pleasing, and the addition of owers, shrubs, and other landscape features will create a more aesthetically pleasing place.

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Downtown Sneads Revitalization Downtown Revitalization

Sneads has a beautiful historic downtown that can be rehabilitated to increase economic development in the community. We have proposed several stages of improvement:

Stage One: Awnings and Street Furniture Sneads should encourage businesses to locate in the downtown area and, in an effort to attract potential occupants, should work with building owners to replace existing awnings with new ones to create visual appeal. Benches should be put in place to provide space for respite on a hot day. Investing in the “look� of downtown will provide opportunities for economic development in currently empty spaces.

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Stage Two: Crosswalks and Sidewalks Crosswalks painted on the roadway should be put in place to increase safety. In addition, the existing sidewalks are in disrepair and present a hazard for pedestrians. Repaving the sidewalks will increase walkability and create a more visually inviting area.

Sneads Park and other areas

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14 Main St. Corridor 16 Overlook

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18 Pool

19 Shade Trees

21 3 Rivers Park

26 Cottage Boats

28 Area Icons

22 Maps and Trails

Fanning Institute: http://www.fanning.uga.edu/ 1240 South Lumpkin St, Athens, GA, 30602, 706.542.1108 Riverway South: http://www.riverwaysouth.org/ To download an electronic copy of this report visit www.riverwaysouth.org

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Sneads Downtown Regional Connection 4 Revitalization

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8 Youth Center

9 Depot Grill

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Recreation

10 Bike Rental

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11 Wildflower Plot

12 Founding Festival

Project Riverway, a service-learning initiative led by the University of Georgia’s Fanning Institute, works with communities in the lower Apalachicola – Chattahoochee – Flint River Basin to advance creative, sustainable, and economically viable development alternatives.

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Project Riverway Coordinators: Danny Bivins (bivins@fanning.uga.edu), and Leigh Askew Elkins (laskew@fanning.uga.edu)

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