Voters’ decision day is here for new James Brown Arena
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Tuesday is Election Day, and voters in Richmond County are deciding on the new James Brown Arena project.
ers say a modern arena will let Augusta compete with some of the larger arenas that attract the big-name entertainers. But it comes with a $235 million price tag.
And it also means higher property taxes. We spoke with voters and officials about the project.
More than 3,000 people already showed up to vote early and leaders say the stakes are high.
“This is the biggest civic project in the history of Augusta, Ga., and it’s worth you going to the polls and voting,” said Brad Usry, vice chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority.
There are still mixed feelings among many on why it is needed and why now.
“This is a quality-of-life investment in Augusta and one of the reasons we need to do it is because the demographic of Augusta is changing,” said Ursy.
Richmond County resident Anthony Stephens feels differently.
“My answer to it is definitely not right now. We would certainly have to get past this pandemic because at this moment we got a lot of financial needs and I just don’t see where the taxpayer needs to be burdened anymore unnecessarily till the pandemic clears up,” Stephens said.
Usry says the city is attracting more people and top acts are not stopping in Augusta, but a new, larger arena would attract them to come.
“There are acts that can’t come to Augusta right now just because of the rigging capacity the weight of their shows we just can’t accommodate. For us to stay competitive in the region for the entertainment dollar, we have to do this,” he said.
But some people feel that more is needed in the city other than entertainment.
“This is the wrong place, this is the wrong time, wrong location folks. Homelessness, infrastructure, a city falling apart, it seems those are the things that should take priory over entertainment,” said Stephens.
On the other side is local residents David Peltier.
“The arena behind me is over 40 years old and we definitely need an upgrade,” Peltier said.
The nearly 50-year-old building has approximately 7,000 seats, limited parking, sells preferred parking tickets for a spot close by, general parking is in the seventh or eighth street lots for $5, doesn’t have the ability to be adjusted for bigger and more elaborate events, two-star dressing rooms, two large dressing rooms and broken ice-making equipment.
“It’s done it’s purpose and it’s time we invest in a new one and really try to liven it up,” he said.
The current arena has acts like Riley Green, Dancing with the Stars live, Hairspray, and a Magical Cirque Christmas on their agenda. But the Coliseum Authority says it’s functionally obsolete.
“So they’re going to other markets and that’s a missed opportunity for Augusta if you’re going to be a leader here in Georgia for economic growth we need to look at exactly what is going on with our entertainment aspect of our city,” Peltier said.
The new building would have 11,000 seats, with luxury options and club-level experiences, rooftop terraces to see the cities skyline, a ballroom, bring in similar but bigger mid-sized acts like Cirque de Soliel, rodeos, and basketball, and keeping events like monster trucks. As for parking, the situation would be similar – purchasing one of about 300 limited spots on-site and promoting parking across downtown.
Voting is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, and you can vote at your local regular precinct.
To find your voting location, visit https://www.augustaga.gov/1117/Polling-Place-Information.
Also voting ...
- Municipal elections are being held Tuesday in Hephzibah, Blythe and Grovetown. In Grovetown, incumbents Deborah Fisher and Sylvia Martin are both running to keep their seats on the City Council. Newcomer Shelly Kandian sat on the city’s Planning Commission before stepping down to run for council.
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