Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1536125
June/July 2025 | maconmagazine.com 59 provides us with (at least) two important lessons. The first lesson is that it is possible to maintain our valuable community cultural resources in the face of major infrastructure changes, but to do so requires great foresight, organization, and understanding. Community members aren't often aware of long- term transportation plans early enough to provide significant input, even those that might directly and substantially affect them. Furthermore, organizations must be coordinated and vigilant in order to organize an effective campaign to reshape plans to preserve community resources. Although NEPA requires an analysis of adverse impacts, the goals of organizations that are building roads are not likely to align with the goals of the residents who live where those roads will be built. It's easier said than done, but it's a true adage in medicine (and in planning) that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Our communities should come together to identify meaningful assets and take advantage of ways to steward their legacy. The second lesson of this relocation asks us to carefully consider what true progress looks like for our Visit The Little Richard House on 416 Craft St, Macon, GA 31201. The house is open for visitors every Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a lunch break from 12:30-1:30 p.m. community. Faster roadways and improved commerce through expanded interstates might seem like good progress – it might feel like it's moving us forward. But we must always consider the price of progress, and carefully ask ourselves who this progress is for and who might be left dealing with the consequences. Our communities are more than just the roads that travel through them. Our communities are the people who live here, and who lived here before us. Although the physical buildings and locations are only a part of the legacy of the people in our communities, they are an irreplaceable link to our history. While Little Richard's home still stands in Pleasant Hill today, we must be proactive in our efforts to balance Macon's cultural history with the demands of growth. ABOVE The home is placed on a trailer to move to the other side of the highway. Photo from "Pleasant Hill History and GDOT" project on Facebook.