Royston to Begin Phase III of Streetscape Project

The City of Royston is preparing to begin work on their Streetscape Phase III project.

On Tuesday, the City issued an advisory for citizens about possible road closures or delays when the project begins on February 1.

City Manager Ed Andrews says motorists can expect construction and some closed roads in the coming days downtownl.

“The area of concern is Bowers St all the way up to SR17,” Andrews said. Those areas will have some resurfacing done on the main highway portion of Bowers St as well as new sidewalk and curbing so it ties in with previous Streetscape projects.”

Andrews says he expects the entire project to take about ten weeks to complete.

He says the City has been planning for this third phase of the downtown beautification for a number of years, but has had to wait for the grant funding.

“They prioritize each one of those projects, but this one has been sitting in the docket for a little over three years,” he said. “Some other things in the state took priority over some of the Streetscapes. Finally, we’re going to see some improvement in the downtown area. A facelift, so to speak.”

The City of Royston in conjunction with the Downtown Development Authority and the City Commission and Mayor David Jordan has been working hard to revitalize the downtown area.

Recently, a new restaurant opened on SR17 in the heart of downtown called The Old Hardware Cafe.

Andrews says he’s pleased to see new businesses moving into the downtown area, but more work needs to be done to attract new businesses.

Recently, the City Commission asked the City to begin enforcing the City’s nuisance ordinance that addresses rundown and eyesore properties.

“I have gotten with the City Marshal and they can expect some letters to come through,” he said. “We want when the public comes through to have a pleasant experience. We’re not picking on anybody. We’re just asking our property and business owners who have some of those buildings to take a look at that. If there’s some way the City can help we are open to suggestions.”

Again, the City’s Streetscape phase 3 is set to begin Feburary 1st.