What’s in a street name? Now we know.
By Katie Atkinson, Alex Sandifer, and Jiali Chen
You asked. Now we have an answer:
If you want to have a street named after you in Macon, there aren’t too many requirements.
You just need to have been dead for at least a year. But if that’s not a possibility, there are some ways around that requirement.
“There are exceptions if we find the person very worthy,” said Elaine Lucas, a Macon-Bibb County Commissioner. “Very seldom do we get petitions on behalf of someone who is not worthy.”
Lucas sponsored the proposal for street name changes in 2014. The “Policy for Naming and Renaming Streets, Parks, and Facilities Owned by Macon-Bibb County” clearly outlines the steps one needs to take in order to have their name on a street sign.
If you aren’t deceased, you do need to have made profound commitments to the community. Lucas says that the process is fairly simple.
To start the process, a petition needs to be made on your behalf. It should list reasons for renaming the street in your honor.
The policy states that an individual hoping to have a street named after them must have “suffered a tragic death that affected the community” or have a history of “contributing to the Macon community …. [through] contribution of lands, funds, goods or services.”
The petition should include signatures from the members of the affected community. The signatures are used to demonstrate that the community stands behind the change.
Once the petition is submitted, the Macon-Bibb legal department will decide if the name change is lawful and will approve or deny the request.
Once approved, the commission will look at the name change petition and hold a vote. If the petition receives a majority vote, implementation soon follows.
The policy for renaming streets does have some limits, however.
For example, no street owned by Macon can be named for a “service club, lodge, fraternal organization, or religious or educational institutions.”
Also, the community must be in favor of the change. If some community members oppose the change, the commission takes that into consideration, Lucas said.
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