‘A game changer’: North Augusta officers cuts ribbon on new headquarters
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - New beginnings are coming for North Augusta Public Safety as they are ready to better protect and serve you in their new and improved headquarters.
We spent the day at the ribbon cutting and took a look at why this new building is essential to the city.
The new North Augusta Public Safety headquarters is equipped with newer technology and more space, but public safety says the biggest thing is finally being able to work together.
A $25 million budget, all funded by the penny sales tax, said North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams.
Valor Station cuts ribbon on new facility to help first responders
Valor Station is a nonprofit for first responders helping restore the well-being of first responders after the toll the work takes on them.
This allows for all of North Augusta Public Safety to work under the same roof.
It has a new 911 dispatch center, crime lab, courtroom and evidence storage rooms.
Public safety says now they are less reliant on outside agencies and can even focus on providing outside help themselves.
North Augusta Public Safety Lieutenant Clay Swann is thankful for the change.
“You know, prisoner security when we’re dealing with somebody, we can actually pull into there and bring them into court,” said Swann.
Williams said that the new headquarters allows dispatch to respond more quickly to calls.
“When we had Hurricane Helene, if we could have had this facility, the space that we have designed just for it, it would have been a game changer,” said Williams.
For nearly 70 years, public safety has been in the same building on Buena Vista Avenue.
Monument for Masters Black champion caddies to be unveiled
Sandy Hills Neighborhood Association will be unveiling a sculpture honoring past Masters caddies on April 3.
Williams says this new building has been a long time coming.
“We have not only outgrown our old public safety headquarters on Buena Vista, but the conditions that our incredible men and women public safety in courts have been working in far too long, and I think this makes a pretty resounding statement that we public safety,” said Williams. “Our citizens need our public safety to have the greatest facilities so they can provide this unbelievable continued excellent service.”
North Augusta is growing and public safety is growing with it.
“We built for the future. When we need to hire new officers, we’ve got offices that we can put people in. We’ve got room to have training with other agencies so we can interact with them, learn from them. They can learn from us,” said Swann.
Williams says the community played a large role in the project, especially North Augusta Resident Mike Hitchler, who lives right next door.
“When I saw the original designs I asked the Planning Commission, ‘Was North Augusta going into the Taco Bell business?’ Because it looked like just square boxes. I said, you know, the area here has Greek Revival architecture and Victorian. What can we do to kind of improve on this,” said Hitchler.
Hichtler also likes how everything is closer together now.
“Having the Emergency Response Center, Emergency Management, all of these combined and also being only two blocks from the fire station. It’s one-stop shopping basically. If you have a problem, they’ll be able to fix it here.”
And as for the old headquarters, the city says their not ready to unveil their plans for it just yet.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
