The empty shell of the former Smartway Furniture on Gordon Highway has moved to the top of the list of properties being considered for a new Richmond County Sheriff's Office.
Engineers are assessing the cost to buy and renovate the 4.34- acre property in the Southgate Shopping Center, according to Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength. The property is listed as being worth just more than $792,000, according to county tax records.
"They are looking at the structure and of course, if it comes back positive, and the price is in line with what the commission thinks it should be, we will seriously look at it," Sheriff Strength said.
The Richmond County Jail at 401 Walton Way has been plagued with leaks, mold and other problems since it opened in 1985. Several months ago, a leaky pipe flooded some downstairs offices and the entrance, an all-too-frequent occurrence.
The sheriff said adequate parking for employees and visitors has been a consistent challenge in the search for a new building to house the department's administrative, investigative, records, civil and narcotics divisions. His department needs about 150 parking spaces for employees and even more for visitors.
City Administrator Fred Russell said the south Augusta property is one of two under review. A downtown location, which he would not name, is also being considered.
"We are still trying to do our due diligence on the property itself," said Mr. Russell, referring to the Gordon Highway site. "I have not begun a negotiation of cost whatsoever."
Sheriff Strength said that a four-acre property on 12th Street was examined along with ones on Ninth and Telfair streets, Seventh and Greene streets, the Hatcher Building at Fifth and Greene streets, and a property in the 1100 block of Walton Way.
This week's announcement of an $8.6 million county budget deficient would not affect plans for the center because the $9 million allotted for a new sheriff's building comes from SPLOST funds set aside for the project, Mr. Russell said.
"That's a different pot of money altogether," he said.
Reach Adam Folk at (706) 823-3339 or adam.folk@augustachronicle.com.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Is the Regency Mall site too large to consider?
the regency is so full of mold and mildew it isn't safe to use for anything! including firewood!
Moving or relocating would be a perfect opportunity to "misplace" the investigative file involving the attempted bribe of of two local elected officials. Ol' Adam is questioning the sheriff about the drapes while the entire "rule of law" and "no one is above the law" doctrine is playing out before the entire CSRA's eyes. Exactly what are they thinking about these fundamental principles of our Union? Do they think this is the 80s or 90s were corruption was controlled by rumors and winks? Other people are in jail for what was attempted in this case and no amount of obstruction or silent treatment will satisfy this quest for justice. Oh, and these guys want to move into that new building, not some old molded building.
"maroon"
Yeah, Justus, tell us about corruption. Start with Charles Walker and then go from there.
justus, use spellcheck.......you'll still be viewed as a sick, twisted. liar......but at least you'll correctly spell your sick. twisted lies.
Justus, after all, you are a spawn from the 'King of Corruption" so you should be able to smell it a mile away.
This week's announcement of an $8.6 million county budget "deficient" would not affect plans for the center because the $9 million allotted for a new sheriff's building comes from SPLOST funds set aside for the project, Mr. Russell said.
Not an English scholar but I think the appropriate word in this sentence would be "deficit."
Oh my goodness I hope fred dosen't loose the downtown site. We need to keep packing that area as tight as possible. Are we a consolidated city or not? I think when it comes to money - we are not.
Regency Mall can be cleaned. They should make that a government complex it is big enough for all and would probably save money if all the offices were under one roof.
Can anyone decipher the terminology "due dilligence" for me? I know it is a minor point but just what in the HE$$ does he mean.
Dissman, hell, he doesn't know what it means either.
just another day, you are as misguided and nutty as justus is....
justus4= just an idiot
buyer beware... better check into just who is 'selling'... there goes the rub in most of these senario's... decisions made on where to put public buildings according to who 'benifits' from the sale... not the public..
As for due diligence, that means you have to do all the preliminary work before starting to negotiate the price. That means site inspections, title search, consulting with contractors as to what renovations are needed and if they could be done, making sure there isn't mold, asbestos, and PCBs, etc. etc. etc. Is the wiring adequate. Is the plumbing adequate. Is the parking adequate. is it structurally sound, is it accessible to the public, etc. etc. etc. There's a whole lot more to it than saying "It's an empty building, let's put ----- there." Sheriff offices have unique requirements and they are much more stringent that those of a furniture store.
Due diligence: If it were done before passage of "healthcare reform", not one currently insured person in America would be in favor. A good similie would be "look before you leap". Novel concept in America today.