DECATUR COUNTY, GA — Downtown Bainbridge has officially been reaccredited by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and Georgia Main Street following a three-year evaluation of the area's growth, organization, and development.
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The reaccreditation acts as a report card for the downtown area, evaluating how well it supports businesses, maintains its space, and brings the community together. The evaluation is based on recent projects and progress demonstrated through a presentation and tour conducted by the city.
Meeting these standards means the downtown area continues to progress, which can lead to more investment, more visitors, and a stronger local community.
For Trasontra Williams, who opened her business, Two Scoops and a Dog, just over two months ago, the growth is about opening doors for others.
"Our hopes is to offer someone here an opportunity to work. There are people that may not go to college. There are people that may not take a trade, but they can certainly come in and learn how to dip ice cream and serve hot dogs. So also we want to be that alternative to giving people an opportunity to work and have a job," Williams said.
Williams said support from local leadership has played a major role in her experience as a business owner.
"The amount of support that the leadership gives you here. Recently, they have a new mayor, and the support from her is amazing. And the support for the downtown development, all of the leaders, the council members," Williams said.
While business owners point to growing support from local leadership as a sign of continued development, not everyone feels downtown is meeting all of the community’s needs.
I spoke with neighbor Alijah Bakur, who said he appreciates recent changes but believes there is still work to be done.
"I like a few new stuff they do, but it's still, we have a long way to go. You know, we need more diversity, stuff for the kids," Bakur said.
Bakur said there is more work to be done to ensure downtown serves everyone.
"They're making changes, but it's changes for certain people," Bakur said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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