Where does the Augusta Boat House’s future stand?
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - In about a month, hundreds of boats will be on the Savannah River for the Head of the South regatta.
The event is expected to bring in more than a million dollars in tourism, but the Augusta Rowing Club, which is hosting the event, is still looking for a new home.
This will be the Augusta Rowing Club’s 25th year hosting the third-largest single-day regatta in the country.
On Veterans Day, schools from as far as Virginia will row on the Savannah River, but it could be the last with this Augusta symbol for the riverfront.
“We have 16 miles of pristine water here that is the envy of any paddle sport,” said Club President Kirsten Alywood.
Right now, it’s lots of prep and practice with less than a month till the riverfront is filled with lots of competitors.
“Colleges like Clemson, Georgia Tech, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth,” said Alywood. “This is our big money maker so our first focus is to make sure the regatta goes off.”
But this year will be noticeably different.
With the mold-infested Boat House that city leadership has made a priority to have demolition estimates on, the regatta won’t use the Boat House, except as extra storage space.
The conversation for a new facility for the rowing club stopped back in May with a change in leadership and new priorities for storage.
“Boat storage, regatta storage, and a gym, and safety equipment, and all of that, we really need a facility that’s about 10,000 square feet,” said Alywood.
Central Services Director, Ron Lampkin, said: “We’ll still be in the few hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
But with no funding source locked down for a new boating house or storage unit, it’s still unclear what the future holds for this annual event.
“We’re happy to be back and we’re hoping and praying for good weather,” said Alywood.
They expecting for the discussion to come back up at next week’s Halloween Augusta committee meeting.
With the regatta taking place on Veterans Day this year, a lot of typical military volunteers aren’t expected to show up and they’re asking for any help they can get.
You can learn more about volunteering at the Augusta Rowing Club’s website.
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