Regrading the proposed downtown baseball stadium: Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver appears poised to satisfy the greed of his friend Cal Ripken at the expense of the citizens of Richmond County.
Is there anyone out there who believes Ripken gives an iota of care for Augustans? If the attendance at GreenJackets games plummeted, Ripken and his fellow owners would pull out of Augusta before you could say "Strike!"
Deke, as mayor, represents a tiny constituency of downtowners and most likely the folks on the Hill. He ignores the lack of southside development, the great potential still remaining at Regency Mall and the fact that most Richmond Countians never venture near his "downtown" mirage.
True baseball fans are presently enjoying the games at Olmstead Stadium. Why would they opt to drive downtown, and possibly have to walk up to 15 minutes from where they find a parking space, to the proposed riverside stadium? There will be some parking at the stadium, but you can bet Deke's friends and others who can afford it will be able to purchase season parking decals for their vehicles. Ask any insurance provider about the risk involved in leaving a car parked on a random downtown street, as opposed to the patrolled parking site at Olmstead Stadium.
Deke should start behaving like a mayor and not a promoter of Cal Ripken's financial interests. Just look across the river at the beautiful development, not to mention the hugely expanded tax base. Go ahead, Deke -- take a look.
Gene Rickaby
Martinez
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So Gene, there'll be so many fans going to the games that true baseball fans will have to park 15 minutes away from the stadium or the Green Jackets attendance will fail (because of false baseball fans?) and they'll leave Augusta. And downtown is so dangerous you can't park safely. That's a very peculiar point of view you have. Just how far away IS Martinez?
Let's see, the centerpiece of Augusta is downtown. TheMayor is the leader of Augusta. Seems perfectly fit for him wanting to build downtown.
Let's see, the centerpiece of Augusta is downtown. TheMayor is the leader of Augusta. Seems perfectly fit for him wanting to build downtown.
Ripken believes that minor league baseball can be a community rallying point, which, of course, has to make money too. Downtown is where the Mayor wants people to gather. Like blues said, their ideas seem like a fit.
I think Deke is looking for a legacy and since he has not accomplished much else, he thinks the stadium might be it. I live in south Richmond County and I certainly have not seen improvement in things out this way. What I have seen is WAY OVERPRICED garbage collection forced on us. I have seen my land forcibly rezoned from agricultural to residential and the taxes raised to exhorbitant rates, but I have not seen any development out here and the actual selling price of the properties have gone down. But the taxes never go down. I see my school taxes going way up but we continue to turn out a bunch of illiterate little heathens. Oh yeh, I know, that's not the mayor's fault. I have seen the mayor basically capitulate to the idiots on county commission and never oppose their wasteful spending or their race based bickering over where our tax dollars get spent, east Augusta or west Augusta. Unfortunately our representative from south Richmond County never seem to have any cards to play in the game. Deke, your rich friends that own all of that surrounding downtown property already have enough money. How about developing south RC. You take our tax money. Give some of it back. No stadium!
A stadium downtown (the one we have now is a few miles from the proposed spot) is not going to suddenly make people hang out at all the other things downtown. They will still go straight to the stadium ten straight away from it after the game. There will not be lots of, "hey, while we are down here lets go walk along broad street and see the shops and eat down here!"