Business View Civil Municipal - Sept 2023

27 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9 ATHENS , ALABAMA the old photographs and other things, so if we create this trail from the veterans museum along the CSX railroad track, part of which was Easy Street, we need to know and keep this history.” Marks continues that the City is in the process of trying to rebuild the former site of an old 32-acre chicken-processing plant and turning it into a centrally- located park. It’s near Athens State University, which is one of the oldest universities in the state of Alabama. Founded in 1822, the university began its academic life about four years after Athens was incorporated as a city. A proposed trail is slated to extend from this central park to downtown through Athens State and enhance the community, providing green space and recreational opportunities for the next generation, as the mayor explains. “Everything we are doing spins off of passion and energy,” he says. “It takes a lot of work to put on activities like this.” A passion for the arts Hollman shares Mark’s enthusiasm. She cites an arts-related business incubator, High Cotton Arts, on West Washington Street. “I think you have to be creative,” she says, “especially when you are trying to hold on to what makes you a unique city but also grow as well. I know the Chamber of Commerce works a lot with Athens State to help support entrepreneurs and small businesses. And Garth and the Athens Arts League—they renovated a building several years ago, and it’s an incubator for artists because most artists couldn’t afford their downtown building. This gives them a place to grow their businesses and meet with the public, to have arts- related classes and sell their artwork.” Lovvorn explains that local artists