North Augusta Today

Standing on the North Augusta seal with heads tilted back was how many residents began the tour of the new municipal building Sunday.

As shoes clicked on the flooring and visitors moved past the winding staircase to the city seal, the exact center of the building, eyes automatically gazed up viewing all four floors of the 68,000 square foot building Mayor Lark Jones calls the new "heart and soul" of downtown.

Nothing was off limits to the more than 1,200 visitors, who peeked into closets and even sat in Jones' official chair in city council chambers.

"This isn't Mayberry anymore," said Ronald Smith, a resident since 2003.

"This makes North Augusta more of a city," he said.

Although the buzz is about the municipal center, the opening really marks the beginnings of North Augusta developing as a "must-see" spot along the Savannah River. Based on the master plan drawn up with Augusta Tomorrow this year, the new downtown will lead to development around the building.

The opening of Center Street, which stretches from the intersection of Georgia and Bluff avenues to the Savannah River through Hammond's Ferry, will open the area to more development. Center Street opened Sunday, with the traffic light to become operational this week.

"I hope when I'm old and walking with a cane, I can tell people I saw all of this grown," said Lillie Waller, who moved to Clifton Avenue from Connecticut a few years ago. "I just hope it doesn't become a place for loitering."

Hank McKenney, a longtime North Augusta resident and former mayor, said that in the next 20 years he sees the city remaining primarily residential but offering more services because of development.

"We'll still want that small town atmosphere," he said.

While downtown is on the cusp of booming, U.S. Highway 25 near Interstate 20 is also on the verge of commercial expansion as the Palmetto Parkway nears completion.

Skip Grkovic, North Augusta's economic and community development director, said last week that the city will try to maintain a balance so there isn't a "north North Augusta and a south North Augusta."

Jones said while planning can manage some of the potential issues, the citizens play a larger role in keeping North Augusta what it is today.

"The strength of North Augusta is the community among its citizens," he said. "As long as the hearts and minds of citizens are to be cordial and friendly to one another, that will continue to set us apart."

Hammond's Ferry business owner and North Augusta resident David Towles said foot traffic in his area will increase, but development near the Palmetto Parkway will provide a different use and won't really be competition.

"It will be a different type of business center, maybe more industrial or chains," he said. "You'll see more individualized businesses down here (in Hammond's Ferry)."

"If they develop it in the way that I've seen, I don't see much changing," Towles said. "There will be more people and the tax base will increase and it will improve the schools. Handling the growth well, like they have, will only yield good results."

That growth begins at the municipal center though. Jones said he wants the building to be for the public, not him or the employees. The Palmetto Terrace Ballroom and Arts and Heritage Center will serve as the primary means for bringing in visitors.

"We wanted a building of architectural significance," Jones told the crowd during a presentation Sunday.

As growth continues and residential use of the area increases, Jones said he sees the area, down to the Brick Pond Park and through Hammond's Ferry, becoming like Central Park in New York.

The city now has a defined entrance, Jones said Sunday to visitors, and everyone would come to know North Augusta as more than a bedroom community or a place with great recreational facilities.

Reach Julia Sellers at julia.sellers@northaugustatoday.com.

BY THE NUMBERS:
$21.5 million total cost
$300,000 a year in operational costs
68,000 sq. feet
152 seats in city council chambers for the public
50 offices
36 desks
33 city employees moving into the new building
22 bathrooms
10 balconies

WHAT'S NEXT
Municipal building: Opens July 13, pending launch list completion. Hours will be Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Arts and Heritage Center: Opens Tuesday. Hours will be Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Historic North Augusta: Will create a town center toward the river from the new municipal building, connecting to Hammond's Ferry. Project costs estimated at $55 million, with $50 million coming from private funding. Expected to be established over the next 20 years.
Westobou Crossing: Will create a pedestrian bridge, possibly by closing the Fifth Street Bridge, that will link to Augusta.
Old Hamburg: Will create a mixed-use community including housing, restaurants, retail, boat dock and fishing venue.
Buena Vista: Create a neighborhood similar to Hammond's Ferry in the East Buena Vista area.

ABOUT THE BUILDING
Created by the Boudreaux Group out of Columbia. Design was meant to be "traditional, timeless, welcoming and reflective of southern hospitality, serving as a catalyst and model for future town center development and possessing a strong civic presence," according to Heather Mitchell, the project manager of the company.