Community Action Plan Outlines Roadmap for Fulton’s Waterfront and Downtown

FULTON – A new Community Action Plan provides a roadmap for strengthening Fulton’s waterfronts, recreation opportunities and downtown, according to a release from the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities Steering Committee of Fulton.

The report describes “a vision for Fulton that is built on its downtown, waterfronts, and other natural assets as economic drivers that will enhance quality of life and opportunities for existing residents, attract new residents and businesses, and make the community an even better place to live, work and play.”

Prepared by consultants working with a committee of local volunteers, the plan is the result of nearly a year of meetings, site visits and discussions about how to capitalize on Fulton’s recreation and downtown assets and overcome challenges hampering growth.

Fulton was one of 25 communities selected to receive planning assistance through the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities program, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The steering committee said the city’s Parks and Recreation Director submitted the application.

The effort brought state, federal and private-sector experts to Fulton to tour its recreation and downtown assets and work with local leaders to establish goals and actions for the next two to three years.

The broad goals are:

• Improve public recreation amenities and facilities, including waterfronts, waterways, and city parks.
• Grow water-based and water-adjacent recreation.
• Enhance downtown vibrancy with the arts, placemaking, business diversity, and connectivity.
• Raise awareness of and broaden access to recreation and downtown offerings.

“In our two-day workshop to identify ideas and challenges, the word that came up the most often when participants were asked to describe the city was ‘ready.’ People in Fulton are ready for growth and this process showed us that we are also ready to pull together to make it happen. We have the people, we have the plan and we now have contacts at the state and national level ready to help,” said steering committee member Tim Carroll, speaking for the committee.

Specific goals include working with the state to find ways to improve water quality in Lake Neatahwanta while increasing recreational use of the lake; accessing grants to catalog and clean up brownfield sites; updating the city’s master plan for trails and creating consistent trail signage; improving the War Memorial complex building and grounds; creating a downtown business committee; creating a cohesive brand for the city and a central hub for information on activities and events; and drawing up an information strategy for the effort.

The committee said a recent meeting in Fulton with the state Department of Environmental Conservation about Lake Neatahwanta improvement efforts grew out of the Community Action Plan and was an early step toward implementing a plan aimed, as the report notes, at “help[ing] the community capitalize on the unique opportunities that are presented at this moment.”

The full Community Action Plan is available through the City of Fulton’s website. Information about the planning-assistance program is available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.