Newspaper Page Text
i
WHAT’S UP IN NEW DEVELOPMENT
A Vivid Illustration: On Saturday, Feb. 12, we had that public
information session at the Classic Center. Over a hundred com
munity members showed up, and the whole thing was a joke.
The process, as controlled by the Classic Center and the archi
tects it hired, was set up to lead to only one conclusion, and
it was very intentional. No meaningful community input could
come out of such a process, and that's entirely the point.
The rest of my Saturday was much better. I swung by a
lecture at the university, where a 26-year-old activist spoke to
other young college student activists assembled from around
the Southeast about how to get things done to better their
communities. Most of these kids were somehow affiliated with
causes relating to food, whether organic, local, healthier or
otherwise better for people. Somewhere in that room, there
was probably a future Hugh Acheson, or maybe the founder of
the next Earth Fare or Whole Foods.
After that lecture, I ran into those kids again. En masse,
50 or 60 of these activists showed up at a house show with
two great bands from Florida, along with local up-and-comers
Reptar, who have been making a name for themselves around
the country. The floors shook and bounced and the windows
fogged up and everyone had a swell time dancing 'til the
cops came. To those out-of-town activists from boring places
like Auburn and Clemson, Athens looked pretty damn cool.
The lectures they attended were informative and thought-
provoking, no doubt, but I'm betting that party will carry a
lot of weight with them, too. Maybe some of them will come
back here to visit again, perhaps go to grad school, and ulti
mately start a business here. These are people who want to do
the work of making the world better, and they seemed to like
Athens.
Simple Priorities: In all of this talk about the civic center
expansion, we've heard a lot of people say that Athens' best
selling point is Athens. By that, they mean that the city's
unique atmosphere is the main competitive edge the Classic
Center has over every other city's convention center. What
hasn't been said is that in order to be competitive, v/e must
protect and enhance our convention center's best asset.
Right now, the Classic Center is pushing a design that will be a
huge detriment to that asset. When the community tells them
that everything they love about downtown Athens (that thing
that they use as their key attraction) is in jeopardy based on
*his bad design, you'd think the people who rely on it would
listen. It's really that simple.
We're faced with a choice between optimizing downtown
Athens or optimizing the civic center. If the civic center relies
on downtown for its success, then the needs of downtown must
come first.
What We're Missing: So, if we were actually to build a civic
center that embraced downtown Athens, what might it look
like? The first thing we would do is not cut off access to
Foundry Street and points east. That means
building the 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall
the right way in the right spot. The money
necessary to do this can be found by cutting
that silly atrium out and coming up with a
more practical concept for pre-event space.
Suppose that exhibit hall went on what
used to be Clayton Street, currently home
to parking lots for the Classic Center and
the Banner-Herald. Maybe it would have big
doors that would open up, like the Fire Hall,
so that people could wander down Clayton
through big archways and into trade shows
and vice versa.
Perhaps that old exhibit hall could accom
modate our thrice-weekly farmers markets,
invigorating Foundry Street and utilizing
the Classic Center in a way that matters to
Athens residents. It would also be a good
way to utilize the existing kitchen in the
building, if a new exhibit hall included an
expanded one elsewhere. ACC Commissioner
Doug L ry's idea for a Dekalb Farmers
Market*style venue might fit well here,
too. Imagine conventioneers being able to
browse stalls set up by 50 or 100 local busi
nesses between sessions. The courtyard (sans
atrium) might be a lot more fun with that
market spilling out into it.
The plaza around the Athena statue could
also use a dressing-up, with retail that
invigorates it and invites people. That Fire
Hall forecourt could be the gateway to the
river district, with an active plaza full of
tables and chairs, food carts and an interac
tive fountain. Retail spaces ringing it would
help, too. From there, folks could wander
down the hill through courtyards and plazas
to our burgeoning river district. At!.ens has
funky streetlife in spades. The Classic Center
should figure out how to be a part of that.
It is, after all, a marketing tool for the city.
When company reps come here to meet, they should have such
a good time that they seriously consider moving their busi
ness here permanently.
The Message: We have yet to discuss how to actually translate
Athens into the Classic Center. The two really ought to be
indistinguishable, though, if we want to really hook people
by giving them interesting experiences while they're here.
We have also yet to consider what the convention center of
the future looks like. The dusty old plan that these folks are
proposing may meet the needs of conferences like the "Future
Business Leaders of America," but does it take into consider
ation the individuals who will be leading America's businesses
in the future?
What the Classic Center has to illustrate first and foremost
if it is to be successful, not only as a convention hall but as
a marketing and economic development tool for Athens, is
this: unique things happen here, and if you want to do unique
things, here is where you ought to be.
Kevan Williams alhensrising@flagpole.com
A lively pedestrian thoroughfare in Seattle (above) traverses a steep slope with a series of
terraced plazas, activated by retail. Could a similar design be applied to the Classic Center’s
courtyard (below) behind the Fire Hall?
Feb d 25 © widewayw
Saturday a
Feb. 26 ®
DJRX
MUSIC
I0IN GLOBES
What is GLOBES?
UGA organization for Faculty and Staff members
who are Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual,
Transgender. Queer or Ally
► GLOBES Meeting Schedule:
Monday, March 7
Tuesday. April 5
Thursday. May 5
6pm at the Georgia Center
IS
Find ik on
Facebook
i
Join cur listserv:
httn://www.Hsiserv.uga.edu/archives/gtobes.hinil
GLOBES v
GBTQ Fuculty/SlMff
( >1 .il u> II
FEBRUARY23.2011-FLAGPOLE.COM 9