Fall 2020 - 1736 Magazine

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Richard Williams paints the front of Firehouse Bar on Broad Street in downtown Augusta on an October morning. 34 | 1736magazine.com
Graffiti and overgrown weeds mark the back of buildings on Broad Street (visible from Ellis Street) in Augusta. building and the renovated Miller Theater – diverted attention away from long-blighted properties. But then 2020 came. The COVID-19 pandemic emptied downtown restaurants almost overnight. Bars and restaurants closed. Downtown office employees began working from home. Meetings, conventions, sporting events and trade shows were canceled. With fewer pedestrians on sidewalks and fewer cars on the streets, the central business district's always-present vacancies – market reports say more than 20% of downtown’s vacant space is not “move-in ready” – brought blight back into sharp focus. With a lack of commerce and civic activity, officials once again find themselves having to convince the general public downtown is safe. “If storefront windows are broken out and there's garbage strewn about, you don't feel real comfortable walking through there,” said Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Captain Mike D’Amico. “If broken windows and graffiti are taken care of the next day and everybody picks up their trash, then you don't mind walking down that same street even if there is crime, because it feels more safe.” to those in our community doing the hard work of running local businesses, and who — in heroic measure—are navigating the challengesofthis pandemic: we seeyou. we supportyou. we thankyou. FACTS AND FIGURES Facts do not support the public perception of downtown Augusta as a high-crime neighborhood. In fact, according to Richmond County Sheriff’s Office crime statistics, Augusta’s urban core is among the city’s safest neighborhoods – particularly its central business district, where most downtown workers, visitors and tourists congregate. D’Amico said downtown crime, which primarily consists of property offenses such as car burglaries, has been on a steady decline for most of the past five years. “Its refreshing to see that our downtown area isn’t an area with our highest prevalence of crime,” D’Amico said. Using year-to-date figures through Aug. 31, with 2015 as a baseline for comparison, total crime in 2019 had fallen 1736magazine.com | 35 AG-0003251289-01 Member FDIC
Page 1 and 2: FALL 2020 WATERWAYS EDITION Facing
Page 3 and 4: A PRODUCT OF PRESIDENT TONY BERNADO
Page 5 and 6: A temporary walkway for constructio
Page 7 and 8: - may very well be the prime reason
Page 9 and 10: The vacant three-story building at
Page 11 and 12: At University Health Care System, p
Page 13 and 14: Jordan Johnson’s journey to the A
Page 15 and 16: with tracts occupied by everything
Page 17 and 18: issues are the same: You don't want
Page 19 and 20: The Augusta Commission District 1 e
Page 21 and 22: High-efficiency chiller. Improvedco
Page 23 and 24: The first phase of the renovation c
Page 25 and 26: 1736magazine.com | 25
Page 27 and 28: Sunday, November 15, 2020 T27
Page 29 and 30: The original First Baptist Church o
Page 31 and 32: Richmond County Sheriff’s Deputy
Page 33: Margaret Woodard, executive directo
Page 38 and 39: Pedestrians make their way along Ei
Page 40 and 41: MYTHS HARD TO DISPEL Officials can'
Page 42 and 43: THE ALCOHOL EFFECT Patrons congrega
Page 44 and 45: Good first impressions are importan
Page 46 and 47: Richmond County Community Safety Of
Page 48 and 49: Richmond County Sheriff’s Office
Page 50 and 51: URBAN CORE CRIME Below is a year-to
Page 52 and 53: By the 2010s, most of downtown’s
Page 54 and 55: COMPARE... Building: Former Cobern
Page 56: Artist renderings depict the front
Page 59 and 60: The asymmetric roof lines of the pr
Page 61 and 62: Brendan Thompson, executive directo
Page 63 and 64: An artist rendering shows the front
Page 65: Westobou just completed a “Black
Page 68 and 69: BRIEFING By DAMON CLINE HITS & MISS
Page 70 and 71: FINAL WORDS The biggest danger in d

Fall 2020 - 1736 Magazine

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