Augusta District 1 Commissioner Matt Aitken is holding a public meeting at 7 p.m. today to discuss the health of downtown.
The session will be held in meeting room A of the Augusta-Richmond County Library at 823 Telfair St.
Sheriff Ronnie Strength; City Administrator Fred Russell; and Margaret Woodard, the executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, will be in attendance. Strength plans to share statistics on downtown’s low crime rate.
Interesting timing.. Now you get to choose whether you have an interest in the goings on Downtown, OR the 12th District GOP debate.. which will have the bigger draw I wonder.. and which will get the bigger media coverage..
It will be a Countydude Cheerleaders Conference between Maggie, Matt and Deke. Predicted press release tomorrow?.....Deke- (sounding like a Chamber of Commerce Director instead of Mayor)-"Downtown is on the way up because of my leadership on the TEE Center/ Parking Deck"...Matt-(with his tired un-original bromide)- "We need to move the city forward"... Maggie-(being clueless)- "We tried to put in parking meters AND we gave away a clock and installed a hot dog stand..What else did you expect us to do?"
Basically blahblahblah.....and nothing will change....
Feeling cynical today....can you tell?
I hope that the local political structure can see that there are some great opportunities in downtown Augusta but not at the current rate of investment. Our city leaders need to take a look at downtown Savannah and how they were able to bring Savannah back to glory with the help of investors and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Our city is sitting on the verge of a tremendous opportunity for downtown development with the merger of ASU and GHSU. Now I know that a lot of people don't like this merger but think of all of the money that could be invested in old (dilapidated) buildings that could be reclaimed for a much better use than a bar or startup restaurant.
Savannah is considered one of the great american cities and Augusta could be one as well if you eliminate some of the night life aspect and concentrate on positive redevelopment.
Just think of all the added security downtown as well with the additional MCG police force.
We should do everything possible to encourage expansion of ASU and the med school over the downtown area. THAT can change Augusta. Housing at the old GGHOF is the first step. Use the College of Charleston expansion over the city as an example.
I bet she will. She's never intimidated. I see where Deke got real picky with her last night and made her stop when her time ran out although it's common to let people run over with the time in order to close.
It's becoming increasingly clear about the TEE center that those who fought against it from the start should be thanked. Instead, they are treated curtly without respect. Don't take your anger, disappointment and frustration out on those who tried to tell you the truth.
I agree, MCG/ASU is the future of downtown, not strip clubs and tats.
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