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ALBANY, GA -- The Albany-Dougherty Inner City Development Authority got out of the city Saturday to talk about downtown improvements.

ADICA Board members met at Chehaw to talk about the future of downtown Albany. ADICA Vice Chair Bob Kraselsky says retreats are a great way to discuss issues openly. “The atmosphere is much lighter and we're not in a formal setting,” says Kraselsky.

The laid back retreat gave members a chance to openly discuss what they want to see happen downtown. ”We think we’ve got a good opportunity here. We’ve got a great board and great ideas,” says Kraselsky.

Members talked to Downtown Manager Aaron Blair about areas that need improvement- and how to make those improvements happen. ”Things that are available to them as far as a business or resident and we talked about developing a greater bond with agencies that surround us so we can work together to be successful,” says Blair.

And while retreat is great way to discuss improvements downtown, the most important part is taking that info and working with others in the community to make it happen. “We want to include every agency, business, and resident, anyone we can get to help develop the mission and go in a common direction,” says Blair.

Kraselsky agrees and says transforming downtown is a community effort. “We can’t do it alone, we can’t make it happen; it’s going to require other entities and other people participating,” says Kraselsky.

Blair also talked to the board about a project they are currently working on. iBuyAlbany.com is a website the Downtown Managers’ office is working on. The site will allow local businesses in Albany the chance to promote their business for free.

Assistant to the Downtown Manager Monique Broughton says the website is very helpful for businesses. “Where they can put coupons, info about their business, business hours, even links to social media pages and it just allows them a free presence online,” says Broughton.

The website will officially launch in the next couple of months. Members say the retreat went well. They plan on holding retreats quarterly in the future. What do you think about potential changes for downtown Albany?