MADISONVILLE — Madisonville residents will have one last chance to voice their opinions concerning the future of their downtown area at a workshop on April 30.
The last in a series of workshops for the “Downtown Madisonville 2025” planning process will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Madisonville Methodist Church, 143 College St.
At this meeting, graduate students from the University of Tennessee Planning Program will facilitate a presentation and discussion of project ideas, as well as concerns identified at previous workshops.
Afterward, participants will help review and refine specific ideas before the final plan is developed.
“The students have been working hard at researching the community-generated ideas, and we look forward to presenting their findings to the community. We’ve been gratified by the participation of the local residents and look forward to working with them once again,” said Tim Ezzell, director of the UT Community Partnership Center (CPC).
Mary Hendershot, of the Monroe Area Council for the Arts, said planning Madisonville’s future is critical for all of Monroe County.
“Downtown Madisonville is the image-maker or image-breaker for Monroe County. Everyone who moves to our county must come to Madisonville to conduct business. The revitalization of downtown Madisonville is beneficial to the whole county.”
“Downtown Madisonville 2025” is a partnership between the people of Madisonville, the UT Urban and Regional Planning Program and the UT CPC. The participatory planning process to revitalize downtown Madisonville is supported by the John D. Grubb-Louise G. Sumner Fund of the East Tennessee Foundation.
Created in 1994, the CPC has worked to create equitable partnerships between UT and low- and moderate-resource communities. The CPC provides leadership in developing collaborative and participatory approaches and methods in research, planning, and policy development, and implements those approaches through local, regional and national programs. For more on the CPC, see http://sunsite.utk.edu/cpc/.
—
Contacts:
Tim Ezzell, UT-CPC (865) 974-9036
Mary Hendershot, MACA, (423) 442-3210