With no other contenders for the $3 million allocated annually through the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Fort Oglethorpe Downtown Development Authority is applying for it all in order to fully fund the revamp of the LaFayette Road corridor into the Chickamauga Battlefield.
“We are interested in beautifying the corridor from the park down LaFayette Road,” said Fort Oglethorpe DDA Chairman Jeff Epperson. “It should help businesses dramatically. We want visitors to the park to stay in the area. We have the opportunity to rebuild the area. We want to re-create the historic downtown area of Fort Oglethorpe on LaFayette Road.”
He expects the proposal for the revamp to go to Washington, D.C., for approval in mid-August, and the grant money to be received by September.
“The Georgia Department of Transportation administers funding available from ARC,” Epperson explained. “It handles small projects in local communities.”
Should the grant be received, though Epperson said he feels certain it will, the first phase of the project will beautify LaFayette Road from the battlefield to Forrest Road by adding trees, shrubs, grass, medians, bicycle lanes, streetlamps and benches to make the road more attractive to people passing by.
“We hope to at least get a portion of the funding this year,” Epperson said. “We will hire an engineering firm to do civil engineering work first. We will bid it out. I hope to break ground in six to eight months on the project.”