MOULTRIE — This is the public’s chance to have a hand in shaping the future of downtown Moultrie.

On Friday, a team of urban designers, landscape architects, historic preservationists and designers from the University of Georgia (UGA) will arrive for an intensive, three-day public design session, or charette, to create a plan for the reuse of the Friedlander Building to accommodate ABAC on the Square. In addition, the charetee will address parking and pedestrian access and connectivity to the historic building and to the area east of the square, commonly known as the warehouse district. A public forum will occur from 7 to 8 p.m.

The design team will establish a full working design studio at ABAC on the Square for the weekend. Plans, drawings, analysis and ideas will be developed during the day, and the public is encouraged to drop in throughout Saturday to offer feedback.

From 2 to 3 p.m. on Sunday the team will hold a public forum, presentation of preliminary results and public comment and critique.

“Then they’ll go back to Athens much like the Quality Growth Resource Team did, finalize the report and in two or three months deliver a final report on their findings,” Hopkins said.

The team is interested, Hopkins said, in the public’s thoughts on a vision for that portion of downtown and its attachments to the historic elements within that area.

“It’s just a dialog with the community to allow them to come up with some suggestions as to what the community might consider,” he said.

Progress on the redevelopment project is clipping along. Hopkins is hopeful by the first quarter of 2008 to have plans in place.

The design team under the direction and supervision of Prof. Pratt Cassity, director of public service and outreach in the School of Environmental Design at UGA, is being brought to Moultrie thanks to the Archway Project, a successful outreach effort by UGA to the community.

To contact Project Connect Manager Bob Hopkins, call the chamber of commerce at 985-2131 or e-mail rhopkins@moultriega.net. To contact the Center of Community Design and Preservation School of Environmental Design, call charettte coordinator Jennifer Walker at (706) 542-4731 or e-mail jenit.walker@gmail.com.