Storm wrecks voting plans and more at Savannah Rapids Pavilion
MARTINEZ, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Due to damage from Hurricane Helene, the polling location at Savannah Rapids Pavilion will be changed.
But it’s not just voting that’s changed.
Hundreds of events, including dozens of weddings, are on pause after the storm shut down the popular Columbia County venue.
No one knows where those 230 events – including many weddings – will be held, but the voting on Nov. 5 will take at Stevens Creek Community Church, 600 Stevens Creek Road.
ELECTION QUESTIONS?
- If you have any questions concerning the polling location change or your voter registration status, call 706-868-3355. Your voter registration status may also be checked online at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.
It’ll take a lot of work to fix the pavilion, where dead tree limbs, the smell of pine and yellow caution tape are all signs of the damage.
Inside is a disaster, as it flooded when a tree hit the building, setting off the sprinkler system.
Among the events on hold is the YMCA Augusta Duck Dash.
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“We were excited and gearing up and about a week away, and unfortunately, with the closing of the park, we were having to postpone that event at this point,” said Danny McConnell, president and CEO of the Family YMCA. “We’re in the midst right now of having discussions about what that might look like going forward.”
For now, it’s all about recovery and remodeling.
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The county was already planning to renovate the building, which generates half a million dollars in revenue every year. But with the venue soaked from floor to ceiling, the timeline has moved up.
As for the Duck Dash – a fundraiser providing beds for children who need them – the work goes on.
“People have lost a lot in the storm, to include some of these children that need beds,” said McConnell.
“We’ve had four branches that have delivered beds in the last two weeks, and we’ve got two large deliveries we’re in the process of scheduling right now,” McConnell said.
The park is closed to the public. Officials ask you to avoid the area.
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