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September 11 - 17, 2014 VOL. 4 NO. 2

Architects of Inaction Augusta’s minority business program

City’s traffic czar juggles tasks Arts In the Heart’s PHOTO BY VINCENT HOBBS

New Jazz Stage

UrbanProWeekly - SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

2

Eddie Bussey 706-772-9800

FEATURE

Interim deputy city adminstrator and traffic engineer Steve Cassell haunting the halls of the Marble Palace.

Photo by Vincent Hobbs

Steve Cassell: Visionary UPW: What inspired you to become a civil engineer and how did you wind up in traffic engineering?

CASSELL: My father was a civil engineer so, I grew up around it. I originally wanted to go into construction like my father but, the economy in the Midwest was down at the time that I graduated so there was not much in that field. I must have sent out 200 resumes with not much luck at the time. My first job out of college was actually in environmental engineering because I essentially took what I could get at the time.

UPW: Where did you grow up and where did you receive your undergraduate training?

CASSELL: My dad managed construction for hydroelectric plants so, my childhood was somewhat eclectic prior to high school since we moved around and lived mainly in river towns in the Midwest.

I was born in West Virginia and lived some of my early years in southeastern Indiana. I spent most of my childhood in Middleport, Ohio.

Middleport was an old river town on the Ohio River dead center between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati and most of my friends were coal miners’ and farmers’ children.

Just before high school, we moved to Pickerington, Ohio which is a suburb of Columbus where I graduated from high school. Next, I attended The Ohio State University where I received my Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.

UPW: Briefly describe your experience in the field of engineering prior to coming to Augusta.

CASSELL: In 2000, I moved to Atlanta and worked on site development and traffic engineering.

I really enjoyed the traffic side so, I began focusing my career on that. I was lucky enough to get a job with one of the more respected transportation engineering firms in Atlanta so, I got a lot of experience working for both private sector and public sector clients. I mostly worked on large private developments performing traffic studies and design work.

UPW: When did you join the city’s engineering staff?

CASSELL: I joined the Augusta Engineering department in April 2006.

UPW: What were the unique challenges that you faced in Augusta?

CASSELL: Probably the most challenging was adjusting my perspective of each issue based on the environment and, by environment, I mean the type traffic issue you’re dealing with. For instance, through my work in Atlanta, I had mostly focused on urban traffic engineering with some suburban mixed in. While that’s challenging itself, it’s very “big picture” focused, while government is nuts-and-bolts.

When you work for the government, especially a large county like you’re dealing with in Augusta, you get experience in all aspects of traffic engineering: urban, suburban, rural, down to the neighborhood level. Each one of these is very different from a traffic standpoint. For instance, in urban you’re dealing with high-volume,

UPW: Augustans have traditionally dreaded traffic during the Masters Tournament. What are the main challenges remaining and what are some strategies that you have employed to ease the strain?

CASSELL: For the most part, I myself dreaded it until about 2010. It was at that time that I, as well as the other members of the team, finally threw our hands up and just decided that we had done just about all we could do without implementing some major changes. We had always talked about doing “this” or doing “that” in prior years and had somewhat taken baby steps or nibbled around the edges of doing something dramatic but, there was always the worry of public backlash from any changes.

In 2011 is when the thing really took off and I never looked back. That was the first year that we one-wayed Berckmans Road in the evening which is what people will most remember but, we also implemented more access restrictions, turn restrictions, etc. that helped us actually manage the traffic as opposed to reacting to it. Once Alexander Drive opened in 2012 and we were able to maximize its usage as well, I can honestly say that from, the standpoint of the Masters Golf Tournament experience, traffic is almost a non-issue at this point.

UPW: In March, you were named interim deputy administrator. Were there discussions about that prior to your being named? Were you surprised?

CASSELL: The idea had been floated casually to me a couple of times during the preceding months but, for whatever reason it never seemed to get foothold because the commission and Ms. Allen were dealing with so many other major issues at the time, including the February Ice Storm.

To be honest, I had almost decided that they were going a different Continued on next page

3 UrbanProWeekly • SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

CITY

If you drive, ride as a passenger, or even cross the street anywhere in Augusta, you are entering Steve Cassell’s world. As the city’s Traffic Engineer (only the second in the city’s history) Cassell has a say in everything that happens to a vehicle once it attempts to navigate the city’s roads, alleys and highways.. In March of this year, he accepted the role as the interim deputy city administrator. UrbanProWeekly caught up with Cassell this week in an attempt to get to know him better.

low speed traffic with pedestrians, bicycles, etc. mixed in. In suburban you’re dealing high-volume, high-speed and few pedestrians. In rural, its lowvolume/ high-speed and hardly any pedestrians. And neighborhood traffic is typically low volume, low speed with not only pedestrians but, the potential for small children in or around the road. So in each situation, you need to consider your environment and weigh potential solutions accordingly.

UrbanProWeekly - SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

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Cassell from page 3 direction when they finally did name me interim deputy. In fact, on that day, I was so unaware of it that when I got off the elevator, the motion was already on the floor, and people in the hallway looked at me with surprise and asked “Did you know there is a motion to make you the deputy?” And before could say anything, I heard on the speaker in the hallway that the motion had passed. Next thing I knew, I was surrounded by cameras and the rest is history.

UPW: The massive ice storm really tested the city’s manpower and financial resources. What were the biggest lessons learned from that experience?

UPW

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CASSELL: Truly, the biggest lesson I learned during the event is to know when to call everyone in and wait it out until morning. We had city crews and contractors out working in the wee hours of the morning clearing roads and limbs from the road when all hell broke loose and stuff started falling all around them. I shiver now at the thought of someone getting seriously hurt or killed in that situation but, at the time we were so focused on what needed to be done and moving to the next issue that, I think we may have lost sight of the big picture and the scope of what was actually going on.

Sometimes, I feel like people really don’t appreciate what our crews put themselves through for the city. After all, they all had families at home with no electricity and trees falling on their houses as well but, they were at work for a majority of that time.

In hindsight, there was very little we could do that night in the grand scheme of that event; nothing noticeable in the overall recovery effort at least. If I had it to do it over again I would have pulled people back earlier and rode it out until morning short of emergency calls.

UPW: Are there still lingering effects in the aftermath of the storm?

CASSELL: Absolutely. The overall impact of that storm will be felt for years to come especially as it relates to our trees. The debris we had from that storm was the equivalent of a Category 2-3 hurricane.

In the short-term you are going to see a lot of older trees die away. This is because the stress of the storm made them much more susceptible to disease and insects and this will last for the next few years. Additionally, the city lost a significant amount of it’s tree canopy and that is definitely going to take years to recover. Plus there will be the stuff that “almost fell” that we won’t likely know about until it happens.

UPW: Has your experience as interim deputy administrator changed how you view politics and politicians in the grand scheme of making Augusta a better place to live and work?

CASSELL: I wouldn’t say so. I was pretty involved with commissioners in my previous position as Assistant Director of Engineering over the Traffic Engineering Division.

However, I will say the scope of the involvement has increased with the new position. I will say though that the

one thing I’ve observed over my last eight years is that politics, especially in Augusta, are multi-faceted and the public-perception of it, while at times negative, is mostly not provided in the context in which statements are made or events occur. It’s all given me a thicker skin as you can’t let things bother you and definitely can’t take things personally when they don’t go the way you may have wanted.

UPW: There’s a chance that the city will hire a permanent city administrator before this year is out. Once the new administrator is on board would you be a candidate for the job of permanent deputy administrator?

CASSELL: That’s a good question and I think that would depend on and be up to the new administrator, whoever that may be. While I think I have a lot to offer the city in this regard, I also believe that, for someone to succeed in that position, they need to surround themselves with people they feel they can rely on and trust; and I would look for those same qualities before I made any decision on moving forward. While I believe that I possess those qualities for any potential administrator, those words have different meanings to different people.

However, with that said, I will continue to offer my experience and expertise in whatever capacity it is needed and for as long it is wanted.

UPW: What is your vision for Augusta’s future from a traffic engineering standpoint?

CASSELL: We actually have a lot of good things in the works to improve our transportation. For instance, as part of the Transportation Investment Act (TIA), we have over $6 million dollars that will go toward expanding our adaptive signal system to improve traffic flow of our major corridors, install emergency vehicle preemption systems on our fire trucks and traffic signals to improve emergency response, and install transit priority systems on our buses to improve the flow and reliability of our transit system. This project will also install more intelligent transportation elements such as an expanded fiber network to link our signal systems back to our office to reduce maintenance costs and expand our camera system to not only allow us to view real time traffic in multiple areas at once but, can also be used by emergency dispatch in assessing resource needs after an

accident is called in.

We have also been working on a several “complete street” conversions along 15th Street, Druid Park Avenue, upper Broad Street, as well as some other corridors. This concept essentially involves decreasing the number of travel lanes in order to provide bike lanes, wider sidewalks, etc. We have several corridors that this could be a suitable treatment also.

As for the future of the Augusta core, the bones are there for the most part: wide sidewalks, good grid system, streets wide enough to possibly accommodate bike lanes without widening. These roads just need investment to bring it there and to address the parking that may be impacted in order to provide these accommodations.

With that said, we need an expanded and improved pedestrian network to include greenways, multi-use paths that provide connectivity to activity centers not only in the city core but, in our suburban areas as well.

However, in a larger sense, if we don’t address our aging storm water system soon, it won’t matter what we do above ground because it will be in a sink hole eventually. A lot of our storm water system downtown is undersized and over a hundred years old and built of hand-laid brick. In our suburban and rural areas, we have similar issues related to corrugated metal pipe systems that were installed over 20 years ago; these are reaching and exceeding their intended life spans as well. Failures of both of these types of systems are becoming more and more frequent.

I think we’re on the right path, we’re just a little behind but, with TIA and hopefully the next SPLOST which will provide more infrastructure improvements, we’re beginning to catch up but, our biggest challenge will continue to be funding maintenance.

As for an efficient public transportation system, that’s a tough one because it relies on so many other factors such as land use and density.

So, there will have to be decisions made beyond just expanding and increasing investment in the transit system to make it efficient. To me an efficient system provides options for people to not only access home and work but, also entertainment and other activities that people enjoy.

With that said, we have to improve our outreach and education in order to expand the knowledge of the benefits of a transit system. ­— edited by Frederick Benjamin Sr.

5

COMMENTARY

Architects of inaction

Quest for minority business program mired in bureaucratic infighting

By Frederick Benjamin Sr. UrbanProWeekly Political Analyst AUGUSTA Progress toward implementing a race and gender conscious program for city contracts has been inching forward at a terribly slow pace.

The program, once “held hostage” by what was widely perceived as benign neglect on the part of former commissioners and city officials, has been painstakingly steered back on track, but still has many hurdles to clear.

The culprit at this juncture appears less to be commission intransigence and more a bureaucratic spat between the city’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Department and the city’s Procurement Department.

In a nutshell, Yvonne Gentry, the DBE Director is trying to maintain her department’s independence and ownership of its functions.

Geri Sams, the city’s procurement director, has thus far been successful in relegating Gentry to observer status as the city moves forward with a new disparity study and minority business program. One clear goal is for procurement appears to be to pull the DBE operation under its umbrella with Sams calling the shots.

Unwittingly, the commissioners may have been relegated to “observer” status as well.

Consider the following. At the regular commission meeting on April 15, 2014, commissioners voted 9-0 to task Sams and the DBE director to consult with the Law Department and determine (a) what Gentry “actually needs”, (b) to evaluate what the city currently has and (c) identify “what additional steps need to be taken to begin the process of procuring the disparity study.” Once this was done, they were to report back to the commission in 45 days with a recommendation.

Here’s what actually happened. A couple of months later at the June 26, 2014 Commission meeting, Sams made a presentation that Gentry complained they did not work on together.

Buried deep in her presentation, Sams recommended a “Possible Change

in Management Structure” which she the procurement department and not the commission once again in its said would “Increase probability of the commissioners. This underscores a July 7, 2014 Administrative Services project success,” “manage employee problem that has plagued the govern- Committee meeting. resistance to change and “build com- ment for some time now.

This time, Interim City Administrator petency in the organization.”

The commissioners task city officials Tameka Allen was given the ball to According to Gentry, “Change in to do a specific job and, along the way, carry. She was tasked with meeting management structure” was a direct the city officials put their own spin on with the Procurement Department, reference to her department. Those the assignment and then present it back the DBE Coordinator and the Law recommendations by Sams had noth- to the commission for their approval.

Department and come back with an ing to do with what the commission Too often, the commissioners are agenda item. tasked her and the DBE Dept. to do. blind-sided by these types of maneuWe’re still waiting for that to happen.

Further, Sams, in the same presen- vers and sign off on a process that It is difficult to see commissioners ever tation, chose to ignore the recommen- they had never intended to originally. moving forward in a meaningful way dations of Gentry and Colette Holt, an In this instance, the DBE followed on this issue until they decide who attorney and expert in contract compli- through with the commission’s wish is in charge and actually pay closer ance issues. only to have the process “hijacked” by attention to what they are being asked Holt had recommended that the city another department. to vote on. consider enacting a race and gender As it turned out, Sams’ June 26 preThe experts say 1) Fund a new disconscious pilot program for contracts sentation was not approved. Instead, parity study; 2) Start a race and gender over $200,000 and Gentry had agreed. everything was referred “back to com- conscious pilot program which passes The commission also agreed. In mittee” by an 8-0 vote. legal muster; and 3) purchase the softFebruary, 2014, the commission voted The matter was brought up before ware needed to get the job done.

9-0 to “Draft a new program for minorities for projects over $200,000.” The You don’t have to live with Law Department and Holt were supposed to review the program details. or any other kind Gentry argues that the commission did not place the Procurement of discomfort, including headaches, Department in charge of that process or any other kind of discomfort, neck stiffness, shoulder pain, muscle and certainly didn’t give Sams the power including headaches, neck stiffness, to veto the commission’s decision. tension, sleep difficulty or hand However, Sams, in her June 26 pre- shoulder pain, muscle tension, sleep sentation countered the recommen- difficulty or Brice hand numbness/weakness. numbness/weakness.

Dr. Cal dation of Holt and Gentry and said instead, “I do not recommend impleDrug Testing Now Available! menting a new race and gender con706-736-5551 Most Insurance Accepted scious program at this time.”

Sams seems to have forgotten that 1132 Druid Park Ave, Augusta, GA 30904 the commission had already voted 2 Locations: 1125 Druid Park Ave. • 2583 Tobacco Road to draft a new program for projects Augusta, GA 30904 Hephzibah, GA 30815 over $200,000. That is why Gentry followed up and drafted such a plan.

The plan was then to be reviewed by WE TAKE Holt. However, when Gentry’s pro• Georgia medicaid • Insurance plans gram draft was submitted to the Law Department, it was never subsequently • Charge cards • WIC vouchers forwarded to Holt for review.

Gentry, however, was never notified FREE of that fact. Instead, her draft proposal languished in the law department for a DELIVERY couple of months. According to Gentry, city attorney Andrew McKenzie indicatSERVICE Marshall Curtis, ed that he never forwarded the draft to Pharmacist/Owner Holt because Sams had put a halt on the process.

Baron Curtis, So, apparently, the “buck stops” with Pharmacist

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POLITICS

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A new stage will be on tap to entertain patrons who attend the award-winning 2014 Annual Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival, which takes place September 19-21 in downtown Augusta.

Karen Gordon, a local jazz musician who also manages the Garden City Jazz events, has partnered with Perry Broadcasting and the Greater Augusta Arts Council to add a performance venue for CSRA jazz and blues musicians to share their talents. The new “Jazz & Blues” stage, located at 8th and Broad, will feature musicians such as Garden City Jazz, B. Courtland, Fred Williams, Robert Reid, John W. Hobbs, and Joel Cruz - as well as many other jazz and blues artists.

The addition of the new performance stage originated from a casual conversation with Brenda Durant, executive director of the Greater Augusta Arts Council.

“Back in the spring, I met Brenda Durant at Perry Broadcasting for an Arts Weekly podcast taping. I’d come to promote an upcoming event, and while we chatted beforehand, she asked what I thought of a jazz stage at Arts in the Heart,” Gordon shared. “Of course, I said it was a great idea. She asked me to consider coordinating the talent.”

Gordon is excited about the new addition to the festival.

“I’m excited, first, because it exists. I can’t recall there ever being a stage at Arts in the

Heart dedicated to a specific genre of music.

Will this trend continue for future festivals? I don’t know. But I’m pleased that jazz music is paving the way for that.”

Perry Broadcasting, which broadcasts “Arts Weekly” on Smooth Jazz 92.3 FM is lending its support to the new festival stage. “I figured that it’d be an ideal partnership,” Gordon said.

Gordon is probably Augusta’s biggest jazz crusader. Her goal to broaden exposure of the jazz genre to the CSRA community has opened up opportunities for both aspiring and established musicians to share their work.

“I’m excited about several of the performances we’ve gotten lined up. A few are non-traditional - the Solo Saxophone Flight and the Duets Project - and I’m eager to see how they play out onstage.”

“We work hard to support other musicians and artists and we’re grateful for the opportunity to share the music that we love with so many.

Having a platform to showcase it at the largest festival in our area is a big deal. This is a great time for jazz in Augusta.”

The Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival was started in 1981 by the Greater Augusta Arts Council. It has grown from its humble beginnings on Telfair Street to a regional showcase of art and performance talent that generates $3.2 million in direct visitor spending.

— V. Hobbs

Arts in The Heart of Augusta 2014 Perry Broadcasting Jazz & Blues Stage (8th & Broad Street, downtown Augusta) FRIDAY SEPT. 19 5pm Garden City Jazz 6pm B. Courtland 6:30pm Travis Shaw 3 8:30pm Solo Saxophone Flight 8pm Open Jazz Jam 8:30pm Jazz Jam + Jazz Casual SATURDAY, SEPT. 20 11am Fred Williams 11:30am Dance In Motion 12pm Jazz For Kids: sing. clap. wiggle. shake!

1pm Adam Harris Thompson 2pm Augusta Swing Dance 3pm Dayz to Come 3:30pm Perry

Broadcasting Presents Luke Christopher 4:30pm Robert Reid 5:30pm John W. Hobbs 6:30pm The Tandem 7:15pm Joel Cruz 8pm Jazz Casual SUNDAY, SEPT. 21 12pm AlgoRhythm 1pm Dee Hemingway 2pm Reggie Sullivan “Duets Project” 3pm Karma + The Musicated Minor 4pm Funk You (Unplugged) 5pm Harlem Renaissance: Jazz, Rhythm, & Rhyme 6pm George + Buzz + Muz

7 UrbanProWeekly • SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

“Jazz & Blues” stage is new addition to Arts in the Heart Festival

UrbanProWeekly - SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

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IMAGES

CULTURE

(Below) Dancers with the “Magical Fires of Polynesia” perform traditional island dances during First Friday festivities in downtown Augusta.

Photo by Vincent Hobbs

(Above) First Friday fire performers entertain during First Friday festivities in downtown Augusta. The re-vamped event attracted crowds who enjoyed live art performances, street musicians and vendors selling hand-made crafts. Photo by Vincent Hobbs Guitarist Dennis Hall jams along with musician Denny Kotz as their group “Double D” performs durng First Friday festivities in downtown Augusta.

Photo by Vincent Hobbs

9

SPORTS

T.W. Josey High School volleyball players greet their opponent, Harlem High School, before the start of a match at the Laney High School gym. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

Harlem vs. Josey Set 1: Harlem wins 25-21 Set 2: Harlem wins 25-9

Harlem High School volleyball player Brittney Roberts (L) gets the ball over the net as T.W. Josey’s Helen Stitt (R) goes up for the block during a game at the Laney High School gym.

Photo by Vincent Hobbs

UrbanProWeekly • SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

IMAGES

UrbanProWeekly - SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

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Sen. Seay to hold second hearing for Senate Senior Technology Gap Study Committee State Senator Valencia Seay (DRiverdale) will hold the second hearing for the Senate Senior Technology Gap Study Committee on Monday, September 29, 2014 at 3:00 pm. at the Carrie J. Mays Family Life Center in Augusta.

Sen. Seay was appointed to the study committee by Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle along with Sens. John Albers (R-Roswell), Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta), Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain) and Chuck Hufstetler

(R-Rome).

This committee is charged with studying the conditions, needs, issues, and problems related to technology gap that divides senior citizens and younger generations and will work to determine the issues seniors face with the technology gap and develop strategies to overcome those barriers.

Experts and professionals in technology field will present various findings on this important topic that affects a large number of elder Georgians.

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ATTENTION

11

12 UrbanProWeekly - SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

OPINION

AL GRAY

Cooking Sinergy on Reynolds Street I nsurance Professionals i p rance Professionals

Some like to use the phrase “God Don’t Like Sinergy struck reporter Susan McCord hard, equipment?

Ugly” to describe situations where extreme karma when she published expose about Augusta In Augusta a $1500 kettle whistles steam that Al Auto Home Life Health  Bondsan  Commercial erupt, but isn’t it more apt that both God and Satan Commissioner Alvin Mason last year, prominent- Mason’s $1500 pot is black and the laughing imps mehave Lifesenses Healthof humor Bonds when Commercial  gore ly focused upon the number $1500, which was who once hid out in the press room found their mortal humans their own ox? reportedly the amount of each of the campaign sinergy brewing in the $2 million taxpayer-funded Readers will see the title and immediately think contributions made to Mason and fellow commis- kitchen on Reynolds Street.

“Synergy isn’t spelled that way!” Correct you are. sioner Corey Johnson by Augusta contractor Heery When this writer spoke before the Augusta Auto Home Life Health Bonds  Commercial Synergy is the creation of a whole that is greater International Commission against the SPLOST vote back in April, in 2009. than the simple sum of its parts. “Sinergy” should a heartfelt recommendation was expressed to have $1500. be thought of as creation of an offense that is great Whether it came through divine or demonic a “Truth Commission” empaneled in Augusta. er than the simple sum of its ingredients. “Sinergy” device is uncertain, but $1500 is the cost born by South Africa found greater peace after Bishop has gotten cooked up in heaping batches in a Augusta to refurbish existing kitchen equipment Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela insisted on Reynolds Street kitchen in the Augusta Convention found in the TEE Center invoicing. According to holding Truth Commissions after apartheid ended.

Center. the legalese in the documents recorded in the Only when Augusta’s media giant comes to the After the management at Augusta-based Morris Office of the Augusta Richmond County Superior table in a spirit of truth toward all communities Communications decided to go all-in cheerlead- Court Clerk the equipment items were likely the and all people in your city will Augusta’s apartheid ing their TEE Center caper, which saw a Morris asset of Augusta Riverfront LLC, the Morris affili- end.

That is how it looks from up here in the Lincoln Communications-affiliated company awarded706.560.9997 ate. Under the fax ongoing 50 year Conference Center Auto  Homethat  Lifeagreement, Health Bondsextended  Commercial with the management agreement to operate by  the TEE Center agree- County pine woods across the lake. now-infamous convention center, they failed to 2636-C ment, kitchen was theJyNelle responsibility of Agent dy, Agent Tobaccoequipment Rd Handy, cco Rd JyNelle Handy, Agent Al M. Gray warn their local government reporters about theHephzibah, the Augusta Riverfront entity, therefore any “exist- Agent GA 30815 2636-C Tobacco Rd JyNelle Handy, INFO@INS-PROS.COM

legal minefield lying in wait.

Hundreds of pages of ing” kitchen equipment in the complex would not AROS.COM 30815 INFO@INS-PROS.COM  Home  Life  Health  Bonds Commercial of Augusta.

Al M. Gray is a CSRA political activist with a documents were officially recordedAuto in the Superior have beenthe property Hephzibah, GA 30815 INFO@INS-PROS.COM Court Clerk’s office. Those poor reporters hadn’t Did Morris’ newspaper slam Commissioner background in Cost Recovery Accounting and a the time or expertise to read the huge volumes Mason for a $1500 ethical lapse when their affiliate frequent speaker to the Augusta Commission on required to avoid embarrassing blunders. enjoyed exactly $1500 Augusta funds to rebuild its public policy reform

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Bid specifications may be obtained by contacting Amy Bauman in the Business Office at 706-826-1298, on our web site at www.rcboe.org, or at the Richmond County School System, Central Office, 864 Broad Street, 4th Floor, Augusta, Georgia 30901.

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WORSHIP

Sunday School 8:30 am Morning Worship Services: 9:45 am Evening Worship Services 6 pm (4th Sunday) Bible Study: 6pm (Mondays) Midday Bible Study: 12pm (Tuesdays) Prayer Services: 6pm (Wednesdays) Celebrate Recovery: 6pm (Fridays) and 12pm (Mondays) 2323 Barton Chapel Road • Augusta,GA 30906 706.790.8185 / 706.922.8186 (fax) Visit Us @ www.broadwaybaptistaug.org • Join us on facebook

Sunday Morning Services 10 am Wednesday Services 7 pm 2070 Brown Road, Hephzibah, GA 30815 (706) 592-9221 | www.alwc.net

Dr. C. William Joyner, Jr. Senior Pastor

Start your calling today! Mount Olivet Certified Academic Institution 706.793.0091 • 706.793.0335 • www.mocai-aug.org

Good Shepherd Baptist Church

Rev. Clarence Moore, Pastor 1714 Olive Road / P. O. Box 141 (mailing address) Augusta, GA 30903 706/733-0341- Telephone/706/667-0205 – Fax E-mail address: admin@goodshepherdaugusta.org Web address: goodshepherdaugusta.org Rev. Clarence Moore Church Service: 7:45 & 11:00 a.m.

Church School: 9:45 a.m. / Prayer Service: 11:00 a.m. – Wednesday Bible Study: 9:00 a.m. - Saturday / 7:00 p.m. - Wednesday

Everfaithful Missionary Baptist Church

314 Sand Bar Ferry Road Augusta, Georgia 30901 (706) 722- 0553 Church School Sunday 9:25am Morning Worship Sunday 11am Evening Worship 6pm (1st & 3rd Sunday) Midday Prayer 12pm Wednesday Intercessory Prayer/Bible Study 6pm Wednesday

Bishop Rosa L. Williams, Pastor

Radio Broadcast: Sundays • WKZK 103.7 FM at 7:30 a.m.

Daily Morning Prayer

6:30 a.m. - 6:45 a.m.

218-548-1625 • Access Code 2331#

UrbanProWeekly • SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

CHURCH

UrbanProWeekly - SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

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COMMUNITY PEOPLE Driving down Bobby Jones Expressway headed eastward, you can see the church with the big blue roof and you wonder what’s going on now. Fourteen years ago, the founder of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Living Word Christian Center (COHS @ LWCC) passed. Devastated by the loss, the members and pastoral team were able to move past the grief and continue on with the vision to be a refuge center for the community. Today, the current overseer and pastor of the COHS @ LWCC, Bishop Walter Cannon shared with us his heart as he approaches his seventh year anniversary as being the overseer of this church.

LWCC: Where are they now?

Bishop Walter Cannon of the Precious Holy Spirit. I would also like to see the manifestation of the Kingdom of God as his Word becomes the Living Word in his people.

What is your vision for the CSRA? I would really love to see all the Local Tell us Bishop, what are you pasAssemblies in the CSRA united as the sionate about?

My passion is shepherding God’s peo- Church of our Lord Jesus Christ maniple as I walk in the spirit and anointing festing the Kingdom of God in their own

peculiar expressions without envying or to realize the awesomeness of God’s jealousy. faithfulness to His people. The excitement of precious souls being saved, healWhat does it mean to be a Bishop ings, deliverances, and the restoration of in this community?

God’s people…now that is a wonderful For me, it is more than a title. Being memory!

Bishop in this community means to serve the families in this community as What would you like to leave as a servant leader in whatever capacity your legacy? needed.

God is love and God is faithful. When He sees the love of God operating Within the last seven years as a through faith in His people, it pleases Bishop in this community, what Him. I want generations to know that memory stands out in your mind?

God’s Word and promises are yea and The memory of the faithfulness of Amen in Christ Jesus! I want God’s peoGod to His precious people and their ple to believe that they are heirs of God faithfulness to Him stand out the most. and joint heirs with Jesus Christ in the When I see their commitment to God, Kingdom of God. I want them to believe their families, this local expression as that all authority has been given to them their church, and the people in the to walk in both realms of heaven and surrounding communities, it helps me earth. — Causandra Broussard

ARE YOU AT RISK?

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n g s t d d e e m d

Stress Physical Inactivity Family History of Cardiovascular disease Obesity Diabetes High Blood Pressure High Cholesterol Cigarette Smoking HEART ATTACK • BRAIN ATTACK • PREVENT ATTACK East Central Health District Hypertension Management Outreach Program

Richmond County 706.721.5800

UrbanProWeekly • SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

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UrbanProWeekly - SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2014

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211 Pleasant Home Road • Suite A1 • Augusta, GA • 706-855-6715 • www.frailswilsonlaw.com

IRS or State Tax Problems?

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And, more often than not, they will do very little to resolve your case.

Make the smart choice with Tax Wize Financial for all of your income tax needs.

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At Tax Wize Financial, as a part of our initial free consultation, we will conduct an in depth analysis of your account with the IRS or State agency to determine the extent of your tax problems. After we have determined what courses of action should be taken to resolve your problems we will outline the services for you and provide you with an estimated cost for those services.

OUR SERVICES INCLUDE: • Preparation and filing of federal current and past years tax returns, including all necessary states.

• Negotiating the release of wage garnishments, levies, liens and other intrusive IRS actions.

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