Many in the Hinesville community are pooling their efforts to facilitate the redevelopment of the downtown district that is now scheduled to take place in early 2009.
This collaboration for the reconstruction of the district was established by the Army Community Heritage Partnership Program, an effort designed to interlink military installations with the cities adjacent to them.
The plans were announced in late March for this integration, and as of last week, five task forces have been created to handle one of five areas involved in the redevelopment-visual and physical linkages, heritage tourism, marketing, business development and property development, senior program officer Teresa Lynch said.
Twenty-four representatives (12 from Hinesville and 12 from Fort Stewart) created and oversee the volunteer-based task forces, and their first major objective is to increase the desirability of the district in order to attract and accommodate the commercial market, Lynch said.
Economic development specialist Josh Bloom, and Lynch met with the members of the various task forces to hear and expound upon their ideas concerning the redevelopment, Lynch said.
“We interviewed developers and stakeholders as well to gain ideas about what they may be able to add to the district, and Bloom will be working closely with the task forces and developers to bring this long term project into fruition,” he said.
In an upcoming visit, Bill Armbruster, who is the deputy assistant secretary of the Army, will meet with Hinesville and Fort Stewart officials to discuss the economic restructuring and design of the district, he said.
“I am pleased by the potential and impressed by the commitment from those in the Hinesville and Fort Stewart community, and the feedback were getting is positive and enthusiastic,” Armbruster said. “We’ve conducted this program with nine other cities and forts, and the outcomes of this program have been consistently good, and mutually beneficial.”
Armbruster expects the completion of the project in the next 18 to 24 months.
This collaboration for the reconstruction of the district was established by the Army Community Heritage Partnership Program, an effort designed to interlink military installations with the cities adjacent to them.
The plans were announced in late March for this integration, and as of last week, five task forces have been created to handle one of five areas involved in the redevelopment-visual and physical linkages, heritage tourism, marketing, business development and property development, senior program officer Teresa Lynch said.
Twenty-four representatives (12 from Hinesville and 12 from Fort Stewart) created and oversee the volunteer-based task forces, and their first major objective is to increase the desirability of the district in order to attract and accommodate the commercial market, Lynch said.
Economic development specialist Josh Bloom, and Lynch met with the members of the various task forces to hear and expound upon their ideas concerning the redevelopment, Lynch said.
“We interviewed developers and stakeholders as well to gain ideas about what they may be able to add to the district, and Bloom will be working closely with the task forces and developers to bring this long term project into fruition,” he said.
In an upcoming visit, Bill Armbruster, who is the deputy assistant secretary of the Army, will meet with Hinesville and Fort Stewart officials to discuss the economic restructuring and design of the district, he said.
“I am pleased by the potential and impressed by the commitment from those in the Hinesville and Fort Stewart community, and the feedback were getting is positive and enthusiastic,” Armbruster said. “We’ve conducted this program with nine other cities and forts, and the outcomes of this program have been consistently good, and mutually beneficial.”
Armbruster expects the completion of the project in the next 18 to 24 months.