Royston Moves Ahead with Strategic Plan List

The Royston City Council has approved a tentative list of items to include in its updated Strategic Plan.

At their meeting this week, City Manager Sharleen Ayers told the Council and Mayor Keith Turman a list of key items had been developed after a meeting with the Royston Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Michael Crump.

Ayers said the first category is Downtown Development and Revitalization with a view toward continuing work on blighted and vacant properties, fire safety for historic buildings, developing a small business marketplace, improvements to Railroad Park, and improved downtown parking options.

Other areas Ayers said they plan to include in the strategic plan include developing a community identity through rebranding and marketing.

Also, the plan calls for steps to improve the quality of life for Royston citizens such as sidewalk improvements, park and recreation development opportunities, community clean up, finding a new use for the Royston Elementary school building, developing a better mix of retail stores, and improvements to the city’s water and wastewater facilities.

Mayor Turman emphasized that any plans regarding the future use of what is now Royston Elementary School, once the new elementary school is built, will be a collaboration between the City and the Franklin County Board of Education which owns the building.

The fourth strategic plan component Ayers said would involve steps for economic and workforce development to include a business incubator, revolving loan fund, and partnerships with schools and colleges for community support, GED, job skills, and resume building.