The future of the Augusta Marina has become a matter of he-said, she-said, and the parties involved will meet Monday, Feb. 26 to attempt to figure out how to fix the problems at the troubled city property.
Francis Christian, who leases and runs the Marina for the city claims that in a meeting on Feb. 19, Interim City Administrator Takiyah Douse stated she had decided to cut the electricity off at the facility due to the aging infrastructure.
After the story of the meeting hit the local media, Douse said she never said such a thing.
“That was a meeting with Mr. Christian and his wife about other issues at the Marina. The issue of the electricity was brought up, but I never said I was cutting the power off. I can’t make that decision. Only the commission can,” Douse said.
Christian begs to differ.
“She looked me in the eye and told me that she had already made the decision. They were going to cut off the power,” Christian said.
The Administrator’s Office released the following statement:
“Augusta, Georgia has not made a decision to end power and water services to the 5th Street Marina. While there’s a lot being circulated surrounding the Augusta Marina, staff is still reviewing and assessing documentation that has been received by our consultants. Once a final decision has been received and after full analysis has taken place, the Interim Administrator will make a recommendation to the Commission. As of today’s date, no such decision has been made nor has a recommendation been communicated to the Commission.”
District 3 Commissioner Catherine McKnight, who recently voted against hiring Douse as permanent administrator, says that while she was not at the Feb. 19 meeting, she believes this was simply a miscommunication between both parties and said that Douse did the right thing in responding to media reports that only told one side of the story.
“This is really just more fallout from the Maurice McDowell management of Parks and Rec.; but this is the first time Mr. Christian has brought this to the public’s attention, and it is great that he did. So, let’s give them time to make some recommendations,” McKnight said.
In a follow-up interview, Christian said the parties had “kissed and made up” and that he looks forward to finding solutions.
Everyone agrees that the electrical towers that deliver power to the 68 boat slips are old and in need of replacement. However, Christian says that they could replace two towers at a time without cutting power to the entire complex.
According to Christian, after a good soaking rain, boaters need electricity to run their bilge pumps and that it is impossible to live out on the water during the summer without air conditioning.
Currently, there are nine permanent boater tenants; however, during the summer, the slips fill up quickly, Christian said.
Many years ago, the funding given to the Augusta Port Authority to maintain the facility, as well as the Boathouse, was reallocated to the Parks and Rec. Dept. and maintenance then fell under that department.
Christian said that the Parks and Rec. Department has never provided proper maintenance to the area and he received an official notice from the Central Services Department six months ago advising him that the city was no longer responsible for maintenance.
For years there has been contention over what entity is responsible for the Marina. Technically, the Augusta Port Authority controls the property, but the city cut off funding to the authority years ago.
A walkthrough of the Marina is to be held on Feb. 26. According to Christian, officials from the Central Services Department, Parks and Rec. Department, the Administrator’s Office and Port Authority are expected to attend.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
