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Chamber Programs
The chamber is currently working on a variety of large
projects, the first of which is the revitalization of Ashburn's downtown.
When driving through our downtown district, it is hard to overlook the
structure of many of our buildings. Original ornate brick facades decorate
our buildings. Many of the original names of the buildings remain in
place. However, due to different styles of different developers, our
downtown has become slightly jumbled and in need of repair. Aware of this
need, the chamber has applied for a grant and is currently raising money
to unify our downtown�s appearance. A group of engineers from UGA is
putting together a packet to show us what an unified downtown design would
look like. We are currently working with shop owners to make this dream a
reality. Included in this design would be new sidewalks and antique street
lamps. We are very excited about this project and strongly believe that
our historic homes and buildings play an important role in Turner
County�s future. We have chosen the revitalization of our Old Jail as
our second project. Our jail, which is listed on the National Historic
Registry, was once referred to by its inmates as �Castle Turner�. We
hope to once again capture that spirit. �Castle Turner� is the future
home of Turner County�s Crime and Punishment Museum. Stories and
artifacts are already being collected, not only from Turner County, but
also from all of South Georgia. One of the most fascinating stories we
have recorded is of a hanging that took place in Turner County.
Reenactments will be done of the afternoon of the hanging. The paper
quoted citizens as saying that they hoped "the likes may never occur
in Turner County again". The Chamber also has many other programs
such as a ten week Leadership Training Course which is designed to make
our citizens more aware and conscientious of what is happening in their
community. These are just a few of the steps that we are taking to insure
that Turner County continues to grow.

Board of
Directors
We are very fortunate to have a slate of officers and directors
that are actively involved with not only our chamber, but with economic
development as well. Our executive committee treats its position as a full
time job. Devoted to making Turner County and its businesses successful,
our executive committee is instrumental in the relationship our chamber
has with new and existing industries

Shelley Zorn, President
and Economic Developer
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