Public Forum Discusses Future of First Friday

Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Augusta, GA
By The Downtowner


Around 80 people packed a conference room at the downtown Ramada Plaza hotel last night to discuss the future of First Friday. The forum was hosted by the Downtown Advisory Panel (DAP), an organization created by the Augusta Commission in 2003 to advise them on issues concerning downtown. The DAP has mostly been dormant since 2006 but was just recently resurrected with a new board of directors voted in last month.

About 23 people spoke at the forum ranging from Augusta commissioners, downtown business owners to representatives from civic organizations. The vast majority in attendance agreed that First Friday needed to continue but that it needed better organization and a beefed up police presence, particularly after 10pm when crowds can get unruly. Coco Rubio, a downtown bar owner, suggested creating two First Fridays, an earlier and more family friendly event ending at 10pm and an after hours First Friday geared more towards adults starting when the family event ends. Rubio suggested strict enforcement of the city's curfew for the after hours event and more police walking the streets instead of sitting in their patrol cars.

Commissioners Bill Lockett, Joe Bowles, Grady Smith and Wayne Guilfoyle were all in attendance at last night's forum. Mayor Pro-tem Bowles gave the crowd his assurance that he would not vote to kill First Friday. Commissioner Lockett agreed. Conspicuously absent was Commissioner Matt Aitken, whose  District 1 encompasses all of downtown. Also absent was any representative from the Downtown Development Authority as well as Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver. Mike Walraven, the chairman of the Downtown Advisory Panel says he invited all Augusta commissioners, the Mayor, the DDA, and members of the media to last night's forum.

Earlier in the day the Mayor held a meeting in his office with Margaret Woodard, the head of the Downtown Development Authority and two invited downtown business owners where he announced the creation of a campaign to add extra security for First Friday and would start by writing a check for $5,000 towards the effort and encouraged others to do the same. But many downtown business owners say they are already paying through the Business Improvement District (BID) to the tune of $350,000 a year for what they were told would be for enhanced security. Instead all of that money goes towards the CADI (Clean Augusta Downtown Initiative), which the DDA runs for a fee of $25,000 a year. Many downtown business owners have questioned the exhorbitant price tag for CADI and believe the money could be better spent.

Many people questioned why the mayor was meeting with the Downtown Development Authority to discuss First Friday and leave most downtown business owners and other stakeholders out of the loop. Many point the finger of blame at the DDA and its executive Director Margaret Woodard for First Friday becoming disorganized in the first place. Brad Owens, a former downtown bar owner who served on the DDA between 2005-2006 says "First understand most of what you have been told is misinformation, disinformation, propaganda and spin. Most of the information you have been told about the DDA and First Friday is 100% wrong." 


Owens goes on to explain, "This all goes back to a time when the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) had done away with the original sponsors of the First Friday event in an attempt to keep the pass through funding it receives to support it and to not give it to the new sponsors, the Greater Augusta Arts Council (GAAC). This led to a very public conflict between the Chairman of the DDA, Paul King and myself. King was arguing to NOT give up the money that the DDA gets for First Friday to the Arts Council and I was pushing to have it cut from the DDA and reassigned to support First Friday."


Former Augusta Commissioner Andy Cheek took to Facebook and referred to the mayor's private meeting as "a joke." Cheek went further saying "If we move forward without at least getting a handle on who dropped the ball we're making a big mistake, especially when the mayor meets with the very person who dropped the ball in the first place......Apparently this is the type of leadership the Mayor supports. There is no confusion on the proper board that should be handlng the path forward on First Friday. The Down Town Advisory Panel is the governing body having jurisdiction. The DDA is attempting to do an end run around them. The DDA has failed and is corrupt. Its time to reconstitute the DDA and fire  its director."

After ignoring last night's public forum, DDA director Margaret Woodard announced what she is calling an "official" meeting to discuss First Friday this Wednesday at the the downtown library, but critics  say the DDA and Woodard are the problem and have become obstacles to progress downtown and  instead only serves the interests of their political cronies while keeping most downtown stakeholders out of the loop.***

DT

*Below is video from the First Friday Forum hosted by the Downtown Advisory Panel (courtest of Kurt Huttar)

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Popular Business Leaving Downtown After First Friday Violence

Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Augusta, GA
By The Downtowner


A well known music store is pulling up stakes in downtown Augusta in the wake of the violence that marred this past First Friday celebration. Rock Bottom Music, with its iconic electric guitar sign, has been a fixture downtown for 10 years. Located at 758 Broad St in the Johnson Building, the business primarily sells musical instruments such as guitars and drum sets, as well as accessories like amplifiers and speakers.

Owner, Jonathan Karow, responded on the Augusta Today Facebook group and cited numerous issues for contributing to this decision. Karow mentioned that a co-worker was robbed at gun point on Ellis St, he has had windows broken numerous times, has had a problem with inventory being stolen, and his sign and window frame have bullet holes through them. "If you think I'm jumping ship..... Its because it is 'safer in the water' at this point," Karow wrote on Facebook yesterday.

On his business Facebook page yesterday evening, Karow also explained why his business was leaving downtown, specifically citing the First Friday violence:
"Rock Bottom Music is MOVING out of down town Augusta, GA due to the First Friday shootings, lack of support from property manager, etc. WE ARE HAVING A GIANT MOVING SALE ON ALL INVENTORY! Rock Bottom Music Augusta will reopen in a new location with more lesson space & better parking. Hurry in and SAVE BIG TIME! "

Karow also mentioned difficulty with resolving issues with the property manager for The Johnson Building as another factor contributing to the decision: " the roof leaked a few weeks ago and we (and Furman's Jewelry) lost thousands $$ in inventory. Even worse, we lost some very rare vintage items and Furman's had damage to grandfather clocks! I lost hundreds of personal records including Beatles albums I've had for almost 40 years ."

Karow said that it was difficult to leave his friends downtown but that it was time because it has been  "10 years down town with many promises, talk and very little progress... I know who has truly dedicated their time, energy, heart and soul! "

Other businesses have also expressed a frustration in the direction of downtown and wonder how much longer they can stay under current conditions. A recent report in The Augusta Chronicle revealed that the number of businesses downtown decreased by 27% over the last decade.

Bonnie Ruben, who owns thousands of square feet of rental space downtown, says that news like this makes it even more difficult to get space occupied downtown. She says she has tried unsuccessfully to market her properties to potential investors and the kinds of incidents like what occurred this past First Friday are scaring away customers and potential investors.

Other business owners cite an overall lack of direction and leadership for downtown pointing the finger at the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). In fact, their frustration with the DDA led to a group of downtown property owners and businesses to re-activate the Downtown Advisory Panel, in order to go around The DDA and directly to Augusta Commissioners with their concerns and recommendations.

But for now, an iconic business is leaving downtown Augusta and many observers wonder if it will be the first of many more.***

DT

Related Stories:

• What's the Future for First Friday?
• Downtown Advisory Panel Resurrected
• Is Downtown Throwing Money Away on CADI?
• Historical Revisionism in Downtown Augusta

Is Downtown Augusta Throwing Money Away on CADI Program?

             

Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Augusta, GA
By The Downtowner


Augusta’s downtown has been patrolled by a nine-man team for the past four years, and at the end of the year it will be up to the property owners to decide whether to keep them working.

Clean Augusta Downtown Initiative (CADI) began in early 2008 as a way to make downtown Augusta more clean, safe and friendly. Through the Great Recession and into the slow economic recovery,  property owners inside the Business Improvement District (BID) have been paying .00725 cents on every dollar of their property value to fund the $ 365,000-a-year program. (Augusta Chronicle;February 4, 2012).

As the 5^th year of this program approaches an end, downtown business owners will decide once again whether to continue to fund this program.  It will take 51 percent of the downtown property owners to keep the CADI program in place. As a downtown regular, I decided to  poke around a little bit to see how this program came into being and how business owners feel about the use of their tax dollars which now exists  in triplicate for them. That’s right, property owners in the BID are being taxed three times for their city services. Not only do they pay county taxes, they pay a tax that seems to be left over after consolidation called, “Urban Maintenance and Operation.” The BID was established in 2008 which levied a third tax. How did this happen and what are they getting for all of this money?

In 2007, the DDA began their campaign to encourage business owners to form a Business Improvement District which would allow the city to collect a special tax that would be used to help with issues specific to downtown. When talking to downtown business owners about this, most recollect that public safety was the issue discussed most often. As a matter of fact, paying for an expanded  public safety presence downtown was a huge selling point in getting the owners to agree to the program. Who doesn’t want more safety in downtown Augusta? It is a necessity for businesses to thrive.

 As the petition drive continued and meetings were held, I have been told that many business owners who were in opposition were not made aware of the meetings and were quietly left out of the loop. In July of 2007 with petition in hand and the new ordinance drawn up, DDA director Margaret Woodard presented all relevant documents to the Augusta Commission for approval.

According to meeting minutes, Commissioner Jerry Brigham began to question how a Board of Directors would be set up since this was not mentioned in the ordinance. He commented that this needed to be spelled out since so much money would be going through the hands of the board members. At this point in the minutes, someone identified only as, “Byrd,” assured Commissioner Brigham that the business owners in the BID would be nominating and voting for their own board members, (Byrd is quite possibly Byrd Warlick the DDA attorney). Satisfied with the answer, the Commissioners proceeded with a vote to enact the new ordinance without the clarification in writing….Mistake number one.

Now let’s fast forward to January of 2008. The minutes of the very first Board of Directors meeting for CADI show that all board members had been established and were in attendance at this meeting. Who nominated them and when did the business owners vote on them? Owners I have spoken with never saw a ballot. The result and mistake number two was that the early board members were obviously hand picked by the DDA.

Business Improvement District board members:
- Donald Bailey, Davenport Bruker, Len Carter, Bryan Halterman, Tennet Houston, Paul King, Robert Kuhar, Darryl Leech, Sanford Loyd, Julian Osbon, Jeff Partl, City Administrator Fred Russell, Tillman Sauls, Berry Smith, CVB Director Barry White,  and Margaret Woodard.

Sorry folks.  When I think of Downtown Augusta, I think of, Bonnie Ruben, Coco Rubio, David Hutchinson, Robin Schweitzer, Oolie, Jai West, Fred Daitch, Pat Johansen…Shall I go on? Where is the true representation on this Board?

Now that a bit of the stinky history is out of the way, The question that needs to be answered, Is CADI worth another five year investment? This downtowner  says, “No way!” At least not in its present state, and I have found that many downtown business owners are in agreement. Following are a few of the complaints that will have to be addressed:

• Why are we paying CADI to do what we’re already paying the city to do?
• Why was CADI never about Public Safety as we were told it would be?
• Where is all of the equipment CADI started off with? Especially those  machines that suck up cigarette butts.
• Where does $350,000 a year go with only 7 employees?
• Why does CADI now charge for graffiti removal? (Business owners were initially told that would be a principal responsibility of The CADI program)
• Why does CADI take care of the Board of Education property?
• Where is our Board Representation for downtown business owners?
• Why does the DDA charge $25,000 a year to oversee this program?
• Where is the survey from the DDA that was supposed to have been delivered to business owners by the end of March 2012 (according to the February 2012 Director’s Report).
• Will those of us who are in opposition be left out of the new process?

These are all great questions that need to be answered. As a downtown regular I see more vagrants and panhandlers than ever before. I strongly believe that Public Safety is the main ingredient that is lacking for downtown to be able to thrive. If there is a perception that the area is unsafe, then people won't come and spend their money, and having a more visible public safety presence gives people the perception that the area is safer. Downtown business owners were told that CADI would primarily serve that purpose, but that clearly has not happened.

Just think of what could really be accomplished with $350,000 a year of extra tax money with the right visionary in charge of the DDA? Just imagine what could be accomplished downtown with more downtown business owners being included in the process. Now is the time for the downtown business owners to organize, research, and take a stand. Do not let this opportunity to make a huge change pass you by. Become informed and get what you deserve, not what the DDA thinks you deserve. We are depending on you! Downtown is depending on you.***

DT

Stay Tuned
CitysStink.net has initiated an Open Records Request (ORR) on the CADI program and other DDA initiatives. We will have more updates detailing how the DDA misuses public funds and engages in cronyism over how funds are spent and who is appointed to these boards. Stay tuned.

Related Stories:
The Case of the Disappearing Downtown Clock

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The Case Of The Disappearing Downtown Clock

Margaret Woodard decided to give the clock to the airport

Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Augusta, GA
By The Downtowner

A clock that stood in the middle of Broad Street for over 8 years mysteriously vanished one day and later reappeared at the airport. The clock was purchased with $40,000 of SPLOST money as a replica to replace the landmark clock that stood downtown for decades before being moved to the newly completed Augusta Mall in the late 1970s. Even though the clock had issues with telling the correct time, downtown business owners and visitors had grown fond of it and considered it a downtown symbol and landmark.

But one day, in August 2011 the clock simply vanished and business owners were left scratching their heads. "What happened to the clock?".... "Was it stolen?" Now there was an empty void in the median of Broad street across from The White's building where the clock once stood.

Downtown business owners were eventually told that a decision was made to give the clock to the airport because it was irreparable. The airport authority paid for the clock to be moved but  not for the cost of the clock itself. Downtown business owners were asking why they were never consulted for their opinion. Margaret Woodard, head of the Downtown Development Authority says there was a "consensus" to move the clock. A consensus from whom? Because the downtown business and property owners we talked to were completely unaware of any decision to remove the clock.

So we decided to do an open records request (ORR) to get some answers, and the following is what we received:

"The decision to move the clock to the airport was a consensus following numerous discussions among Board members and the executive director, that the clock needed to be in an indoor environment and the airport expressed an interest. There are no Board minutes reflecting this decision."

The statement above was drafted by WBW:jma by the Law firm of Warlick, Tritt, Stebbins, and Murray, LLP, and signed by Wm. Byrd Warlick concerning the removal of the long standing downtown clock.

Question: Why were there closed door meetings to determine the fate of the clock when the clock was paid for by tax payer dollars?

Downtown business owners in and Open Records Request asked for,"All supporting documentation which authorized the DDA to transfer the downtown clock to Augusta Regional Airport….."

We also asked for, "documentation provided to the DDA by said insurance company deeming the clock irreparable." The answer to this question was submitted in an email on October 11, 2010, by the Traveler's Insurance Company, and states, "The costs to repair the clock have risen to the point that they exceed it's current value making the unit a total loss. In this scenario the policy will provide coverage for the actual cash value of the clock less the claim deductible and prior payments. The supplemental claim payment has been issued and is in route to MS. Woodard's attention." Signed, John Tomme, Property Claims Representative.

Question: Who examined the inner workings of the clock and declared it irreparable?

Here are a few things that the public needs to know. In earlier conversations with a past DDA board member, we learned that the clock was purchased with $40,000 in SPLOST funds provided through the DDA. A maintenance package was supposedly purchased as well.The clock arrived and was beautifully placed in the median directly in front of the White's building. After placement of the clock, the DDA had a ceremonial ribbon cutting event attended by 4 former Mayors of Augusta, and all four addressed the crowd in 2003.

In mid August, 20122 the clock disappeared. Downtown merchants began to question the disappearance of the clock and this was when they were told that the insurance company had deemed it a total loss and irreparable. Sources tell us that the airport hired a crane company to remove the clock and relocate it in the airport. The cost from removal and placement is not known, but the repair supposedly cost $8000, all without anyone knowing about this or seeing it take place. Looks like the DDA carefully planned its exit.

Question: Did this happen in the wee hours of the morning, perhaps between a Sunday and Monday when very few people or business owners would be downtown?

We have in our possession the minutes of all DDA Board meetings from February 10, 2010- January 12, 2012. A couple of interesting things to note. The DDA received an email from the Travelers Insurance Company on October the 11,2010 stating that the clock could not be repaired, and that a claim payment would be issued.

A regularly scheduled Board meeting took place on October 14, 2010…No mention of this email or the fact that a claim payment had been issued to Ms. Woodard. There was no BOD meeting held in November 2010. In subsequent minutes of the DDA BOD through January 2012, there is no mention of that payment from the Travelers Insurance Company, however there is a statement from the Treasurer's Report given by Cameron Nixon stating as dictated by the secretary: "The DDA no longer has ownership of the clock. The contribution expense line item in the amount of $13,266.00 is not a cash item but a journal entry to reflect the DDA donation of the clock to the Augusta Regional Airport. That amount is the difference between the clock capital asset value as listed on the DDA books and depreciation."

Question: What happened to the insurance payment on the clock, and who's clock is it anyway; Woodard and her cronies, or the tax payers of Augusta?

A broader question is why downtown business and property owners were left out of the loop during the entire process? Even though the clock often did not tell correct time, that was not really the point. It had become a downtown landmark and a frequent photo spot. It had become a symbol of downtown; and then suddenly it just vanished... with no input from downtown business and property owners. This once again illustrates how business is conducted in Augusta.. in secret..with little or no accountability, and with sloppy record-keeping.

If the clock absolutely had to be moved indoors, then why not move it inside the public concourse on the ground floor of The White's Building or into the Augusta Museum of history.. anywhere downtown? Why were downtown business owners never consulted about the future of the clock.. perhaps they would have been interested in repairing it and keeping it downtown. It was purchased by the taxpayers for downtown. Now it looks like downtown has had yet another landmark clock taken away. More to come.***
CS

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