A current view southward on LaFayette Road in Fort Oglethorpe…
…and the view if there were underground utilities and signage ordinances.
The Fort Oglethorpe Refresh Advisory Committee currently consists of, from left, Chris McKeever, 6th Cavalry Mu-seum executive director; James Thompson, Georgia Department of Economic Development and Appalachian Re-gional Commission state program representative; Carolyn Coburn, Northwest Georgia Regional Commission; Janet Cochran, Georgia Department of Economic Development Tourism Division; Jim Ogden, Chickamauga & Chatta-nooga National Military Park historian; Leamon Scott, Georgia Department of Community Affairs; Louis Hamm, Fort Oglethorpe mayor pro-tem, and Jeff Epperson, Fort Oglethorpe Downtown Development Authority.
Dubbed the Refresh Advisory Committee, the group is currently made up of eight individuals from the city and northwest Georgia representing government as well as commercial and tourism interests.
The plan will concentrate on LaFayette Road between Battlefield Parkway and the entrance to Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park — a stretch of just under one mile.
Chris McKeever, executive director of the 6th Cavalry Museum, is a member of the committee. She recently gave a presentation on the Refresh plan to the Fort Oglethorpe City Council.
She said the LaFayette Road area is the logical choice for developing a town center for the city. “Fort Ogle-thorpe doesn’t have a specific ‘downtown’ area, and LaFayette Road would be much easier to develop along a heri-tage theme as opposed to Battlefield Parkway,” she added.
Fort Oglethorpe wasn’t incorporated until 1949, which by comparison to nearby towns makes it fairly “young.”
But McKeever pointed to the city’s extensive history prior to that, from the heyday of the Post through two world wars on back to the Civil War. “There is a lot of community character on which to build.”
In April the committee members attended a conference held by the nonprofit National Conservation Fund enti-tled “Balancing Nature and Commerce in Communities that Neighbor Public Lands.”
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The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) was established by Congress in 1965 to increase job opportunities and income as well as improve infrastructure in the 13-state Appalachian region. It is administered by the governors of those states and a federal co-chair appointed by the president. Local participation is provided through multi-county development districts. The ARC provides funding for several hundred projects each year in areas such as business development, education and job training, telecommunications, community development, housing, and transportation.
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Held at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, W. Va., the conference helped the group identify the benefits of enhancing natural and cultural resources in the community and of devel-oping a partnership between the city and the battlefield park.
Janet Cochrane, tourism representative with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, says that Fort Oglethorpe would do well to take advantage of the history it owns.
“Heritage and history travelers make good visitors,” she said. “On average they stay longer and spend more money.”
Fort Oglethorpe mayor Lynn Long expressed support for the plan, saying the investment on the section of La-Fayette Road is not a gimmick. “If we can show our business and property owners the turnaround on that invest-ment, then it will be successful,” he said.
Funding for a similar study was secured a few years back, but the proposed design was unacceptable to some of the LaFayette Road property owners and ended up not meeting the requirements for the grant money.
Fort Oglethorpe will match the federal money with cash and in-kind contributions such as clerical labor time, according to Fort Oglethorpe city manager Ron Goulart.
“It’s typically a 50-50 match with the ARC,” Goulart said. “For example, we paid for the committee’s transporta-tion to the conference, and ARC paid for their lodging and meals.”
Leamon Scott, a development specialist with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, says the state gets $3 million of ARC money annually.
“The ARC is a partnership of federal, state, and local governments geared toward economic development,” Scott said.
In recent years ARC funding has helped fund projects for Ringgold, Catoosa County, Chickamauga, and Walker County.
The expertise of the current members of the Refresh Advisory Committee will be augmented with input from other community stakeholders, especially the property owners.
“It’s important that the businesses catch the vision,” Scott said. “And the best way to do that is to get them to the table.”
Janet Cochrane, tourism representative with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, says that Fort Oglethorpe would do well to take advantage of the history it owns.
“Heritage and history travelers make good visitors,” she said. “On average they stay longer and spend more money.”
Fort Oglethorpe mayor Lynn Long expressed support for the plan, saying the investment on the section of La-Fayette Road is not a gimmick. “If we can show our business and property owners the turnaround on that invest-ment, then it will be successful,” he said.
Funding for a similar study was secured a few years back, but the proposed design was unacceptable to some of the LaFayette Road property owners and ended up not meeting the requirements for the grant money.
Fort Oglethorpe will match the federal money with cash and in-kind contributions such as clerical labor time, according to Fort Oglethorpe city manager Ron Goulart.
“It’s typically a 50-50 match with the ARC,” Goulart said. “For example, we paid for the committee’s transporta-tion to the conference, and ARC paid for their lodging and meals.”
Leamon Scott, a development specialist with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, says the state gets $3 million of ARC money annually.
“The ARC is a partnership of federal, state, and local governments geared toward economic development,” Scott said.
In recent years ARC funding has helped fund projects for Ringgold, Catoosa County, Chickamauga, and Walker County.
The expertise of the current members of the Refresh Advisory Committee will be augmented with input from other community stakeholders, especially the property owners.
“It’s important that the businesses catch the vision,” Scott said. “And the best way to do that is to get them to the table.”
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