The City of Thomasville has launched a new tool to help citizens learn more about the projects that impact their community. Discovery Walks will give those interested an opportunity to walk with planners, engineers, and other City staff to hear more about the work that is occurring on projects in Thomasville.
Lauren Radford, Director of Public Engagement and Outreach said that the Discovery Walks are an additional way for citizens to get involved in the work happening in their community. “We envision these as hands-on learning opportunities for our community to better understand various initiatives and the decisions that go into these projects,” she said. “It is also a way to provide feedback and to become engaged in the process.”
The City first piloted the concept of a Discovery Walk as part of the Cherokee Lake project in September. At two separate sessions, City staff members shared information about the Cherokee Lake project with about 30 walk participants. “The concept was very well received, which told us that other projects might also benefit from the concept,” said Radford.
The next opportunity for the community to participate in a Discovery Walk will be as part of the West Jackson Streetscape project. “This is a project that is perfect for the Discovery Walk concept. We envision the Discovery Walk as an opportunity for those interested in the project to walk and talk through this vibrant downtown corridor and discuss with planners everything from signage to parking,” said Radford. “Together, we will discuss some of the input we’ve already received from our community regarding this area of our downtown and see how we can incorporate them into the final design.” The West Jackson Streetscape Discovery Walks will be held October 17th from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm and then again on October 19th from 8 am – 10 am. Each session will begin and end at the Municipal Building. “At the close of each session, we will use our new audience response software and ask participants to vote on some elements of a streetscape project.”
April Norton, Main Street Director, said that the West Jackson Streetscape Discovery Walks are just another way to invite public input into what will eventually become a proposal for streetscape improvements to the corridor of West Jackson Street that stretches from Madison Street to Remington Avenue. “We want the final plan that is presented on the West Jackson Streetscape project to reflect what our community wants now and in the future,” said Norton. “We’ve accepted feedback through an online survey on Thomasville.org and we’ve also hosted several topic discussion interview sessions throughout the month of August. The Discovery Walks will be an additional opportunity for people to provide input in designing the final plan.”
For more information on these upcoming Discovery Walks, contact Radford at 227-4015 or by email at Lauren.Radford@thomasville.org.