ARC Executive Director Visits Toccoa

By Charlie Bauder, WNEG Radio, Toccoa

The Executive Director of the Appalachian Regional Commission says he is impressed with the improvements the City of Toccoa has made in its downtown area.

Scott Hamilton visited Toccoa recently to meet with local leaders from the city and county.

Toccoa Main Street Director Connie Tabor said one of the reasons Hamilton visited Toccoa was to see the results of the canopy removal and re-opening of Doyle Street in downtown.

Tabor says the ARC played a big role in making that happen.

“They were the first funding source for the project of the canopy removal and the mall opening,” said Tabor. “They provided $300,000 to us and acted as a catalyst for other agencies to come on board.”

The Appalachian Regional Commission, or ARC, is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government in 13 states, including Georgia.

According to the agency’s website, ARC provides funding for several hundred projects in areas such as business development, education and job training, telecommunications, infrastructure, community development, housing, and transportation.

Hamilton said helping to improve communities is one of the main jobs of the ARC.

“It is always good to be there and see, feel, and touch what those projects are and to see how they have impacted the communities and the lives of people in those communities,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton said his visit to Toccoa also served as a way to familiarize himself with the communities in the states he serves.

“I have just started at ARC in September and I am making my way around to different states and looking at those projects and those investments,” said Hamilton. “I have heard so much about how the ARC dollars were the catalyst for change in downtown Toccoa.”

Following meeting with local leaders at Toccoa City Hall, Hamilton went on a tour of downtown Toccoa to see those results first hand.

Projects funded by the ARC are designed, among other things, to create new jobs and assist local communities with strategic planning.