Augusta is taking another step to improve residents’ quality of life and economic vitality with the launching the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program in Richmond County.
Augusta’s recent selection as one of only five local governments in the state to participate in the three-year Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program is a testament to the City’s commitment to improving housing conditions. This program, which provides collaboration, training, and technical assistance, is a beacon of hope for our community, offering the opportunity to create and implement a locally-based plan to meet our housing needs. Alongside Augusta, the City of Cornelia, the City of Thomaston, the
City of Saint Marys, and Catoosa County were also chosen for this initiative, further highlighting the significance of our participation.
The Augusta GICH Community Housing Team, a group of seasoned housing professionals and subject matter experts, will be at the helm of developing a revitalization strategy for the Turpin Hill neighborhood. However, the City and the GICH Housing Team recognizes that the success of this strategy relies on the active participation and valuable insights of the community. The Turpin Hill neighborhood was chosen as the pilot area for this effort due to the number of blighted homes and infrastructure needs. Once the plan is successfully implemented in this community, Augusta officials will replicate and tailor the revitalization strate-
gy in other parts of the City, with the continued involvement of our residents.
To ensure the community stays informed and involved in the progress of the GICH initiative, Augusta will host three community meetings at the Carrie J. Mays Community Center, 1014 11th Avenue. These meetings will provide updates on the initiative’s progress and offer a platform for residents to voice their thoughts and concerns.
SEE THE COMPLETE SCHEDULE BELOW:
• MARCH 21, 2024, AT 6PM
• JUNE 20, 2024, AT 6PM
• SEPTEMBER 19, 2024, AT 6 PM.
For info, the public should call 706-821-1797.
The South Augusta Farmers Market held its soft opening this weekend on March 16, marking the beginning of an exciting new season. Organized as a public-private partnership between Growing Augusta and City of Augusta Housing and Community Development, this market aims to bring fresh produce, local goods, and community engagement to the heart of South Augusta.
The market returned to the beloved gathering space hosted by Mayor Garnett Johnson at 4104 Windsor Spring Road, affectionately dubbed “The Heart of South Augusta.”
Opening day featured the delightful offerings of local farmers Grubbs Gardens and Country Sweets. Grubbs Gardens will be offering fresh collard greens, while Country Sweets will have their renowned local honey available for purchase.
Additionally, families were invited to capture the spirit of the season by taking Easter photos with adorable bunnies provided by Wallace’s Farms, adding a touch of charm to the day’s festivities.
Chimere J Brown, Market Manager, shares her enthusiasm for the event, saying, “The South Augusta Farmers Market is more than just a place to shop—it’s a hub of community spirit and connection. We’re thrilled to welcome everyone back and create lasting memories together.”
In the coming months, the South Augusta Farmers Market will be open from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, providing ample opportunity for residents to explore the market’s offerings and connect with their neighbors.
“We encourage everyone to bring their family and friends to join us as we come together to create community around food,” said Brown.
For more information on volunteer and partnerships, please contact Chimere Brown at gamarketsouth@gmail. com or (706) 394-1882.
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“This area has deteriorated significantly over the years. It used to be a lot nicer overall. . . There are too many abandoned homes and burned-out homes, many of which are condemned. . . . We need the streets swept of litter on a regular basis. There are vacant lots with overgrown foliage and too many stray dogs and cats running around . . . And let’s not even begin to mention the gunshots that are heard at night sometimes.”
—a decades long Turpin Hill resident
AUGUSTA
The sentiment shared by the Turpin Hill resident (quoted in pullout at left) could be echoed many times over throughout Richmond County and the surrounding communities. There is simply no easy way to keep pockets of blight from compromising property values and quality of life.
It is a decades-long challenge and there are few signs of it abating. So, it is with hope and optimism that the folks in the Turpin Hill neighborhood can welcome the news that the city is shining a light on its problems.
The city recently announced that it is launching a three-year Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program with the goal of creating and implementing a plan to meet the city’s housing needs.
Turpin Hill will be the pilot area because of its crumbling infrastructure and preponderance of distressed properties. Once the plan is created and implemented, it will be used as a model for expanded efforts in the county.
The thing to note about the city’s announcement is that this is a three-year project and the city wants the community on-board every step of the way.
It is also noteworthy, that there is no mention of money being used for community investment. While investment / or disinvestment may be at the heart of many housing woes, simply throwing money at the problem has been unsuccessful. There are too many societal, economic and legal factors that have kept solutions at bay for as long as anyone could remember. Without a long-term strategy and workable plan, millions could be spent uselessly.
Let us hope that the team assembled for this project is up
to the challenge.
The Georgia Initiative for Community Housing is a program run by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) with assistance from a grant by the US _____.
A few months ago, the DCA released its Georgia Housing Needs Assessment. The report informs how the agency will target its investments across its wide portfolio of housing programs.
Apparently, Turpin Hill was on its radar.
According to DCA Commissioner Christopher Nunn, “The Housing Needs Assessment highlights the critical need for affordable housing. That term has different meanings to different people, but essentially, we are dealing with the fact that Georgia’s workforce and senior citizens need to be able to afford to live in their homes.”
Nunn continues, “The authors of the Housing Needs Assessment used a single, measurable definition for affordable housing. The assessment defined affordable housing as the ability of a household to pay no more than 30 percent of its total household income on their total housing costs.
“Safe and affordable housing is the platform for opportunity for residents across Georgia,” said Philip Gilman, Deputy Commissioner for Housing Assistance and Development. “As the Housing Needs Assessment shows, we are at a critical juncture were adding to the state’s available housing supply is vital to continuing to create economic opportunity for both our families and our communities more broadly.”
In last week’s Wrap-Up of the Augusta Commission meeting held on March 5, 2024, city officials accepted various action items, such as approving the design concept plans for several SPLOST 8 projects. View a list of news briefs below for more details.
Augusta Commissioners received the FY2023 Annual Report presented by Interim Administrator Takiyah A. Douse. The document summarizes Augusta, Georgia’s operational activities and highlights the city’s progress and accomplishments over the last year. Click here to view the report.
The Office of the Administrator received approval to move forward with a bus tour for Augusta Commissioners to visit various neighborhoods to examine property conditions. The bus tour is scheduled for Friday, March 15, 2024, from 10am to 12pm.
The Housing and Community Development Department received approval to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Zeta Xi Omega Housing Foundation to develop two single-family workforce housing units at 1103 and 1109 13th Street, within the Laney Walker/ Bethlehem neighborhood.
Augusta Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding between Augusta, Georgia and the Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc. for $50,000.00 in funding to be granted for supporting festivals and events.
As part of Augusta, Georgia’s SPLOST 8 projects, Augusta Commissioners approved the design concept plans for three project managed by ISM. Below is a list of those projects: • Fleming Tennis Center: The approved design concept consists of repairing and resurfacing thirteen existing tennis courts, repairing sidewalks, repainting Pro Shop, and replacing restroom fixtures. Building a new picnic pavilion with ADA accessible restrooms is also part of the plan. • Hickman Park: The approved design concept for this location consists of replacing the existing tennis court with four new pickleball courts. • M.M. Scott Park: The design concept plan for this location consists of repairing one existing basketball court and replacing one tennis court with three pickleball courts.
• Bill Hollingsworth was reappointed to the Augusta Economic Development Authority.
• Sharon Renee D’ Antignac was appointed to the Augusta-Richmond County Board of Tax Assessors.
The Richmond County School System will continue recruiting for open positions and for the 2024-25 school year on Wednesday, March 20 at Goodwill on Peach Orchard. Recruiters and hiring managers will be on-site to conduct interviews and discuss open positions.
This Walk-In Wednesday Job Fair will be held at 3120 Peach Orchard Rd., from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
To view the complete list of openings, visit our website at rcboe.info/Work4RCSS
TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2024 - MARCH 2024 REGULAR BOARD
MEETING – 6:00 p.m.- Central Office, Board Room Auditorium, 864 Broad Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901
Friday, March 22, 2024 – Richmond County Board of Education Spring 2024 Board Retreat – GLRS, Central Office – 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 – Richmond County Board of Education
Whole Board Training – GLRS, Central Office – 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
National 311 Day offers an annual reminder that 311 is a resource for communities around the country to connect with their city and non-emergency services. 311 is the non-emergency number to call to report issues, inquire about city services, and ask questions.
Augusta’s 311 system invites users to be the eyes and ears of the city while more closely connecting local government to the citizens it serves.
This month, 311 announces a new AI-powered customer service solution which includes automated web and text features users can access 24/7. This new chatbot was launched in partnership with Citibot, a provider of interactive chat solutions for local governments. With Ask Gus, users
can quickly and easily get answers to their questions, find information on various city services, submit service requests or send a message to staff.
Ask Gus’s web chat can be found on the city’s website (augustaga. gov) where both desktop and mobile users will notice the feature on the bottom right section of their browser window. Clicking on the icon launches a chat window, greeting users and prompting them to enter their questions.
To start a conversation via text message, residents can text “Hello” to (866) 788-4487 (4GUS). Ask Gus immediately responds with a short greeting explaining the ways users can utilize the service.
As repair work continues on R.A. Dent Boulevard at Wrightsboro Road, view the road closure schedule below, weather permitting:
• 3/14/24 Road closed 9am-2pm for backfill of repair.
• 3/15/24 to 3/17/24 - Roadway opened to one lane either direction.
• 3/18/24 - Road closed 9am-2pm, one lane each direction after 2pm.
• 3/19/24 - Road closed 9am-2pm one lane each irection after 2pm.
• 3/20/24 - one lane closed on outbound traffic for curb repairs.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, R.A. Dent Boulevard is expected to be fully open to traffic on March 21, 2024.
Sign up for Augusta, Georgia traffic alerts at augustaga. gov. Media interested in covering this topic should contact Danielle Hayes, the Public Information Manager, at 706-312-5511.
We congratulate a championship season!
On March 7, the Boys Basketball Team at Westside High School won the Class AA Championship Game today over Toombs County at the Macon Centreplex. Westside opened Thursday’s GHSA Class AA Boys Basketball state championship game on a 10-0 run and poured in on from there as the Patriots routed Toombs County, 64-29,
to easily capture a state championship at the Macon Centerplex. Westside-Augusta put just two players in double figures, but 10 different Patriots scored points and everyone saw some minutes. Lavontay Ivery led the offensive attack with 14 points and Jario Atkinson scored 11. Xavier Gross and Dontrell Jackson combined for 14 points. The Patriots had
three dunks, 34 points in the paint, 10 second chance points, 14 points off turnovers and 12 fast-break points in a thoroughly dominating performance. Dominic Eason netted 9 points and grabbed 6 rebounds to lead Toombs in both categories. Toombs County missed 10-of11 layup attempts to sum up its woeful offensive performance. The final score was 64-29.
On Saturday, March 2, 2024, Augusta Utilities Department (AUD) crowned the winners of their 6th Annual Georgia Model Water Tower Competition (MWTC). This competition marked the culmination of many weeks of creative problem-solving and engineering ingenuity for 6th and 8th grade middle school students in the Richmond County School System. This annual competition, aimed at fostering interest and proficiency in STEM fields among middle school students, saw participants across the district from A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School, W. S. Hornsby Middle School, and the Richmond County Technical Career Magnet School. These students submitted functioning model water towers, which were graded and
judged by AUD staff, with the first and second place winners advancing to the state competition in April. After the evaluation of their towers and being interviewed by a panel of esteemed judges, three teams took the top awards of First, Second, and Third Place along with six teams or individual competitors winning superlative awards.
“We are incredibly impressed by the creativity, dedication, and technical proficiency demonstrated by all the participants in this year’s Middle School Engineering Challenge,” said Wes Byne, Director of Augusta Utilities. “These young innovators represent the future of STEM, and their passion for tackling real-world problems is truly inspiring.
The winners of the 6th Annual MWTC are as follows:
1. First Place: Blake McGhee and Jayden Parks, A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
2. Second Place: Trey Brown and A’Deren Pollard, A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
3. Third Place: Vacshaun Murray and Sheetal Rao, A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
• Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Design: Joshua Hawthorne, W. S. Hornsby Middle School
• Outstanding Achievement in Artistic Design: Kyndal Morris and Marquis Ware, A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
• Outstanding Achievement in Structural Excellence: Blake McGhee and Jayden Parks, A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
• Outstanding Achievement in Presentation (Judge’s Choice): Kyndal Morris and Marquis Ware, A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
• Outstanding Achievement in “Outside the Box Imagination” : Kareena Plummer, W. S. Hornsby Middles School
• Most Cost-Effective Tower: Blake McGhee and Jayden Parks, A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School
“2024 is the new 1984” - the book bans are real
Iam the product of libraries. Who I am as a person, poet, and public speaker are due to those scared buildings where one with small hands and a massive curiosity could wander the towering shelves. My parents could never have afforded all the books I desired, especially during the Summer Reading Challenge. And though libraries have transformed over recent decades, there are core values they have adhered to for millennia.
Two being, they have always been a source of knowledge and a refuge for all. There are no membership dues, qualifications, stipulations, dress codes, minimal education level, or connections required. On this sacred ground all are welcome. Every race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, and social economic class. Not just permitted or allowed. Welcomed.
But often the sacred is perceived as profane by those with differing or opposing values. Their skewed, misconstrued, and frankly hollow opinions must not be allowed to tarnish or damage this sanctuary. And though I am willing to attend every book challenge meeting to play the part of Elijah and call down fire from heaven to consume, I would prefer we plan a defense. For our libraries,
our communities, our future generations.
We must ask our local library systems where they stand. Ambiguity is not a option. There is no neutral ground. For example, there is a bill that was passed in the Georgia Senate that will outlaw public libraries from being members of the ALA (American Library Association) and also remove the requirement for librarians to graduate from a ALA accredited university. This would remove the standard for this field (on a state level) and allowing anyone to serve in the library system and, by proxy, decide what books are on the shelves and what tomes of wisdom to present to our communities. Basically, it is bypassing the step of book challenging and allowing individuals to infiltrate from the inside. Don’t believe it effects you? As recently as 2022 there was a challenge to remove “To Kill A Mockingbird” from Columbia County high schools. It isn’t coming for your library. The battle is already here.
To encapsulate all of this into a axiom or mantra; A LL Knowledge for ALL People.
JAMES AARON SNOW
ALA
https://www.ala.org/
GEORGIA BILL
https://www.wabe.org/ lawmakers-consider-a-bill-thatwould-outlaw-the-americanlibrary-association-from-georgia/
COLUMBIA COUNTRY BOOK CHALLENGE (2020)
https://www.wrdw. com/2022/02/21/historical-novelunder-discussion-with-columbiacounty-schools/
Live Lovely for Excellence: Join us for the official opening of the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club Exhibition on March 17, 2024, 3:00-4:30 p.m. at The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History and Conference Center, located at 1116 Phillips Street, off Laney Walker Blvd.
Join us on March 17th as we celebrate the continued legacy of this enduring institution. There will be a brief panel discussion with debutantes past and present. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
The exhibit will be on display from March 17th to April 28th and will highlight the history and legacy of the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club, and its founder, Rosa T. Beard.
For other programming connected to the exhibition or to make a donation towards the exhibit or historic marker honoring Rosa T. Beard please click on the link below or visit the social media pages of the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club Inc. and the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, or call 706-724-3576.
The Lucy Craft Laney Museum will host two author talks and book signings in March in the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History Conference Room.
OLIVIA GAINES (also known as Cheryl Corbin) will give an author’s talk on March 16th at 5:30pm. She is a USA Today Best Selling, Emma Award, and multiple award-winning author who loves a good laugh coupled with some steam, mixed in with a man and woman finding their way past the words of «I love you.» An author of contemporary romances, she writes heartwarming stories of blossoming relationships filled with heart and humor. The Technicians, The Blakemore Files, and the Modern Mail Order Brides, are one clicks for thousands of readers.
When Olivia is not writing, she enjoys quilting, playing Scrabble online against other word lovers and spending time with her family. She is an avid world traveler who writes many of the locations into her stories. Most of the time she can be found sitting quietly with pen and paper plotting more adventures in love. Olivia lives in Hephzibah, Georgia with her husband, son, grandson and snotty evil cat, Katness Evermean. Learn more about her books, upcoming releases and join her bibliophile nation at www. ogaines.com.
DR. JANAKA BOWMAN LEWIS will give a talk on March 23 at 5:30pm. The title of the talk will be: Radical Creativity: Black Women and Girls Writing their Stories. Dr. Lewis is Associate Professor of English and Interim Chair of Writing, Rhetoric & Digital Studies. A Tedx 2021 speaker (UNC Charlotte), author of Freedom Narratives of African American Women, Light and Legacies: Black Girlhood and Stories of Liberation, three children’s books (Brown All Over, Bold Nia Marie Passes the Test, and Dr. King is Tired, Too!!) and founder of the Vanilla Bowman Foundation for Educational Impact, Lewis serves on the Freedom School Partners and Rise 2 Thrive Family Resource Center boards. She was in Charlotte Business Journal›s “40 Under 40” 2020 class.
Based on Light and Legacies, this talk will discuss how Black women literary figures have told and represented their girlhood stories. Including activists Angela Davis and Assata Shakur, writer Toni Morrison, and the fictional stories of Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give), she will discuss how liberation is an intergenerational discussion. Janaka’s talk is being co-sponsored by the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History and the Augusta African American Historical Society. Her latest book link is https://uscpress.com/Light-and-Legacies.
Join us for a conversation on
Saturday, March 23, 2024
starting at 12:00 p.m.
Williams Memorial CME Church
1630 Fifteenth Street Augusta, GA 30901
Make plans to join us on Saturday, March 23 at the Williams Memorial CME Church for a conversation and civic engagement, sponsored by The Augusta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. This event features keynote speaker and Civil Rights Activist, Helen Butler, Executive Director of the Georgia Coalition for The People’s Agenda.
Joining Ms. Butler will be Janice
Allen Jackson, Host of the Local Matters Podcast of Georgia.
Co-sponsors of this event include the Georgia Coalition for The People’s Agenda and Williams Memorial CME Church.
This event will be livestreamed on YouTube for those who are unable to attend.
For more information, visit lucycraftlaneymuseum.com or call 706-724-3576.
