Column: Richmond County Commission digs into Boathouse lease
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The government departments from Fire to Sheriff are all suffering from “hire almost anyone” complex that always comes into play when the employment marketplace gets tight. This is the tightest employment mark since the founding of our nation. Bad thing happen when your hiring qualifications are limited to “fogs a mirror”. Employers are hoping that since much of the Covid-Panic-Welfare payments are going away this year, more people will cease their premature retirement and seek employment. In most developed countries there are limits on “the dole”. Not here. Our dependency class and our illegal alien class are competing to be our fastest growing demographic.
Hiring qualifications are more stringent than a 98.6 F body temperature and breathing. You forgot race, party affiliation, who you know, how well you will fit into and support the corrupt operations, and the inabilities to tell your supervisor(s) “No” or to generate an original thought.
To my recollection the intent of the lease Was for the Augusta Rowing Club Inc to pay for minor day to day Maintenance costs. The county attorney was the late Jim wall. The Mayor was Larry Sconyers.
These Nay Sayers of Bobby Williams are trying to run the city further into the Rabbit hole. Now we have these new commissioners who just think they are experts. Pulliam must be in a relationship with Attorney Brown, seems she can’t do anything without him.
Can’t we have a civil discourse without all the vitriol?
How much did it cost tax payers for Francine Scott to go to that Conference and come back with more knowledge about racism and discrimination? That is going on right now, but not the way she thinks. This is exactly why Augusta can’t move forward.
The Augusta Rowing Club might want to row to the other side of the river and see if the citizens of N. Aug. would like to build them a place to store their boats.
I second that suggestion but Holdren might want to carefully read the contract before signing. He won’t want to be shanghaied again. Vague things like “minor maintenance” will have to be specified down to the last detail unfortunately.
The lease to the rowing club written in 1996? Did it get renewed yearly? The club certainly saw the city’s lack of maintenance. If it was me, I’d be rowing away from Augusta.
Augusta-Richmond County is in disrepair in four corners of the county. Riverwalk to the North. Diamond Lakes to the South. Lake Olmstead Stadium to the West. The Boathouse to the East. That pretty much surrounds the city. All owned by the city. All in need of repairs.
But instead of taking accountability to these facts, they always want to blame someone else. Point to others. But there are no others. It is the lack of leadership to maintain what they have.
And now, a new commissioner thinks they have found a solution to one of the problem locations. A copy of a lease from 1996. A lease that supposedly has been in place thru three 2 term Mayors. Did anyone determine early on that the recipient of the lease was not maintaining the requirements of the lease? Apparently not. Should have the rowing club relocated a long time ago? Probably. So with all that said, here they are. What to do. And who to do it.
So now there is a commissioner, knowing they have found the solution. Just all smiles with knowledge that nobody else has. When in reality, they should be a shamed for even bring this up. A lease that was created to help a club in need. A lease to try to turn a negative into a positive. Shame on all that even believes that the rowing club is responsible for Augusta’s short comings.
Some of these comments are hilarious because so many either have short memories or are newcomers. I appreciate the commissioner asking questions because Augusta has a very lengthy record of rubberstamping projects and worrying about the details later. To refresh some memories: 1) built a parking deck on property that the city didn’t own; 2) the entire fiasco regarding the building of the “TEE” Center and the money pit it became; 3) Signing a contract with the company that was supposed to repurpose Lake Olmstead without doing due diligence; the Judicial Center, the old 401 jail, disappearing/misappropriation of SPLOST funds, Stormwater fees, landfill mismanagement, county equipment used on private property in a neighboring county, on and on.
Somebody needs to ask questions and get to the bottom of all the shady deals done in the past, including some of the current commissioners.
I agree with Moses on this one. I can “see” the day to day maintenance items like paint on the walls, But NOT Building Maintenance. They do not OWN the building, they are simply leasing the space. Commissioner Pulliam should realize that concept. Attorney Brown should know that as well. The Rowing Club DOES have responsibility to insure their belongings from theft, fire, or other perils, just like you would do if you were leasing an apartment. ARC needs to repair the structure, as well as the other three corners mentioned by Mr. Sanders. It would be a good place to start at least.
I’m surprised that Sylvia and other TAP reporters don’t do a piece on how much land city Augusta owns including sooo much prime Savannah Riverfront land that could be sold to private investors to generate $ to maintain other properties. Simply just sell the Boathouse’s deterioated property for the land value and let private investors build us a new great tax role restaurant like has been done in Savannah…. TAP = duh you idiots… come up with some sensible recommendations… our elected officials just bounce the ball down the road so they can talk talk talk…and TAP can report report report on incompetence.
Isn’t “The Boat House” kinda blase’. How about “The James Brown Rowing Regatta Complex of America”. Let’s not sit on this jewel.