At a meeting at the offices of the Macon Arts Alliance on July 26 at 7 p.m., representatives from the Macon Arts Alliance staff and board gave written notification to Ed Woodham and Samantha Hill that, effective July 26th, Macon Arts Alliance was terminating the Artists' participation in the Artist-in-Residence Program due to the Artists' failure to live up to specific items within their contractual agreements. Of its own accord, and without contractual obligation, Macon Arts Alliance offered both Artists severance pay to defray any personal costs to them for the early termination of their participation in the Program. This decision was made after much consideration and consultation with various partners in the Program. At the end of the day, all parties involved in this decision felt that this was in the best interest of the community and the project as a whole. We are disappointed by this outcome, but we will continue to work with residents of the Mill Hill neighborhood and other stakeholders to do what is best for this community and this Program.
 
From the very beginning, the Mill Hill East Macon Arts Village has been about inclusion, equity, and engagement. The goal is to reduce blight and increase economic opportunity for existing residents in this neighborhood and to reconnect the economic drivers to the community. We have used an asset-based community development approach, working with local residents and community partners to identify and engage residents and their gifts.    
 
We invite all neighborhood residents and community stakeholders to join in an open conversation about this project, its goals, and the future of the Mill Hill initiative. An open community forum will be held on Wednesday, August 3 from 5:30-7p.m. in the Green Room of the Family Investment Center at 905 Main Street, Macon, Georgia 31217.