Chris Kroc & Macon Politics

Well Chris Kroc has certainly caused quite the stir in the last few days. He's been quite clear as to his opinion of Elaine Lucas ever since his trial period at the local talk radio show, and I don't know that too many folks would disagree with his rather quick assesment of her character. She's no Barack Obama, ladies and gentlemen...

I must say I don't particularly go out of my way to listen to his show. It's just not really my style. But I do enjoy the fact that he gets under Big Momma's skin to such a delightful extent. She is the epitome of all that is wrong with Macon politics - thinks she's much more important than she will ever actually be, and tries to bully everyone around her into submission. Kudos to Erick for standing up to her antics. Some of the stories he tells of her behavior in council meetings are just plain hilarious - or they would be if she weren't so pathetic. Let's just say my daughter had more character and a thicker skin at the age of 3 than she does right now as an adult.

I also enjoyed hearing about Chris' protest at the St. Paul AME church, as the Wrong Rev. Wright's Circus of Blasphemy rolled into town. God has a special place for so-called pastors who abuse their pulpit to spread hatred. Something tells me it's not very good place. I find it pretty appalling that our mayor would be in the same room as this man, much less praise his work as "based out of biblical scripture."

I like our mayor. His response to the little email spat between Erick and Elaine was an example of good leadership, and I think he's been great for this city. But I've lost a great deal of respect for him since his endorsement of Barack (he was eeyunspiiiired!), and now this utter nonsense on a man who literally foments hatred and division. From the pulpit. I expect better from him, and I suspect that deep down he knows what a scumbag this guy is.

Ah, the politics of MacTown. Such a magical place. Full of wonder.

Macon Construction

The Telegraph reports today on the ground-breaking ceremony for my latest project, Capital City Bank's new downtown branch, to be built on the corner of Fifth Street and MLK, Jr. Blvd. The new building will be a 3-story brick structure, designed specifically for the unique site by Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates of Atlanta. For those of you who have been around Macon for a while, it's going on the site of the former Green Jacket restaurant, adjacent to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

It's great to see some new, private construction going on in Macon, and kudos to Capital City for going ahead with what will be a very nice building in such a difficult financial market. The new branch will house a large conference room on the 3rd floor, which will be available to outside organizations throughout the year, and a large open balcony from which Maconites will be able to watch the annual Cherry Blossom Parade downtown. The design is quite unique, and will blend in well with the surrounding Gateway Plaza, Peyton Anderson, and Sports and Music Halls of Fame structures.

Local contractor Chris R. Sheridan will be handling the nuts and bolts of getting this thing built, and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. I'd love to post a rendering of the building, but I need to get permission before doing so. I'll try to post photos of the project as it progresses. Check back later for more info!

Chris Kroc'll Make You Jump!

So all of Macon is in an uproar over that young fella that filled in for two days on our local morning talk radio program. I listen pretty regularly, at least for the 10 to 15 minutes it takes for me to get to the office every morning, so I caught a few excerpts of Chris Krok's now infamous tenure at the AM 940 microphone. His style was certainly a little abrasive and "in-your-face", although I must admit that I quite enjoyed his little run-in with Macon's very own Big Momma, Elaine Lucas.

One other councilman even called in to chastise Krok for showing such little respect for an elected official. Others have pointed out that it's only us young 'uns, with our lack of respect for our elders, that enjoyed the show. I would have to argue that a certain amount of deference should be shown toward people who 'serve' their community; but respect is something that must be earned over time, and Mrs. Lucas has had plenty of time to earn that respect during her tenure on the council...we'll just leave it at that. I will note, however, that as soon as Mrs. Lucas ran out of argument, she resorted to implications about the host's age.

In other news, the past two days have featured Ron and his guest-host du jour answering non-stop phone calls from people either complaining or rejoicing in the glory of Krok's performance. If nothing else, I've never heard the phone lines to the station this busy, so he's certainly stirred up interest in the show. As for this young 'un, I thought he was decent, though I prefer the inestimable Mr. Erickson.

Taking Out the Garbage

I'd like to applaud my friend, blogger-phenom, and councilman-extraordinaire Erick Erickson for taking on the task of ridding our city of this plague. I'm usually pretty wary of inviting government regulation of private enterprises, but one has to draw the line somewhere. I don't buy the libertarian charge that we should simply allow prostitution to thrive within our city limits. If the citizens of this community band together and decide that we don't want these businesses around, then we have the right to ban them. Let the courts decide if it's an afront to the Constitution. Prostitution is illegal, as is human-trafficking, and I'd love nothing more than to see the folks behind these companies taken down.

Macon's Hidden Monastery

As a child, I used to play in some of the most beautiful woods in North Macon behind a good friend's house. We spent many a day in the hardwood forest bordered by Forest Hill Road and The Prado. On one such day, my friend's father led us down a trail to an old abandoned monastery. I remember being fascinated by the whole thing - a trail which had stone platforms where, according to legend, statues of saints once stood, each pointing in the direction of the monastery in the woods. At that time, the only remaining statue was of St. Peter, standing on Satan's head. I've always wondered about the history of that place, and a few weeks ago I decided it was time to see if any of it was still there.

A few days ago I ventured into the woods near the more well-known entrance to the trail, and followed it to the old structure. The forest was just as beautiful as I remembered it, and the structure was still easily accessible, though marked by vandals. I wasn't able to find the statue I remembered, but it brought back quite a few childhood memories just being in those woods. I took a few snapshots from the trail, which can be viewed in my Flickr gallery by clicking on the photo to the right.

As to the history of this place - there is very little documentation of its existence. Apparently, the land was once owned by the LaSociete Catholique Religious order during the late 1800's. Some say it was part of the Pio Nono College, established in 1874 and named after Pope Pius the Ninth, which became Saint Stanislaus College of the Jesuit Fathers in 1889 and burned down in 1921. It's been said that the jesuit monks would walk from the college, now Stanislaus Plaza neighborhood at the start of Pio Nono Avenue, to this grotto/shrine/monestary? to pray. I haven't really been able to confirm any of this, but I'll keep digging.

The land was acquired by Mr. Winship, who built a large estate which burned in the 1970's. An apartment complex now stands where the home was built, but parts of the old monastery still remain further into the woods. This is all I've been able to find out about this place, but it's really pretty fascinating, and definitely worth a visit (with permission of the property owners, obviously).

Mac-Town Grows

So, everyone's interested the new development going on in North Bibb County right now. That area of Macon is just exploding with some pretty upscale development, so I thought I'd use my limited insight into the construction market to see what we can expect from all of this new construction. We're all enjoying the newly opened Shoppes at River Crossing - the new Barnes and Noble is especially nice - and we have several more additions in various stages of development to look forward to. Among those "Coming Soon" to the Shoppes at River Crossing are a new Belk, Circuit City, Chili's, Wild Wings Cafe, Sticky Fingers, and more.

North Macon Towne Centre, just off the interstate on Bass Road, is underway as well. According to the developer's brochure, the new construction will include both residential and retail space:

"...a multi-story, 700,000 square-feet mix of retail, restaurants, office and residential, including apartment lofts and upscale hotels. The pedestrian friendly Main Street is designed to complement Central Georgia's most afluent neighborhoods. North Macon's convenient lifestyles are enhanced by loft apartments above specialty retail shops, sidewalk cafes, and fine restaurants, with upscale hotels and professional offices nearby."

Phase 1, already underway, will consist of 5 new 3-story buildings housing restaurants and retail on the ground floors, with over 200 loft apartments above. The first phase also includes a Hilton Homewood Suites hotel, a new Central Bank branch, and a 3-story professional office building, currently still in the design phase.

Phases 2 and 3 are still in the planning stages, but may include an additional 300,000 square feet of similar construction, as well as a small amphitheatre on Lake Wildfire and a Nature Preserve with walking trails.

Also in the area, we can look forward to a new Publix (don't worry, word on the street is that they're going to keep the one on Tom Hill, despite a new store two exits away), a new Lakeside Commons office park, and more. There are also rumors of a new Target and Home Depot in this area, but as yet unconfirmed. Click on the photo at the top, courtesy of the retailworks website, to see an enlarged image of the overall development in the Bass Road area.