The Augusta Commission took steps toward putting the business licenses of the Bon Air and Richmond Summit on probation Thursday, telling owner Redwood Housing’s director of construction that conditions must improve.
Gunfire has been a frequent occurrence at the Bon Air, the historic Walton Way hotel converted Section 8 housing, in recent months, according to neighbors, and on June 9 police found four people with gunshot wounds.
Thursday afternoon, the building was wide open, including two rear doors and the front entrance. A sign-in sheet and a set of keys on a folding table greeted visitors to the front.
The violence and poor conditions prompted the commission last week to call for action and brought Redwood’s Bob Duke to the meeting Thursday. Mayor Garnett Johnson told Duke he’d spoken with multiple residents living without air conditioning while others openly broke the rules and there was no building security.
“Frankly, I believe you can do better,” Johnson said.
Duke gave the commission a report on improvements he said Redwood had made. The Seattle company purchased the building in 2021 for $15 million and the Richmond Summit for $9.5 million.
Duke said Redwood had invested some $6.8 million in a first phase of upgrades at the Bon Air, including renovations of all 203 apartments and adding a library and computer center. The commission authorized a $28 million bond issue for the effort.
Commissioner Jordan Johnson said Redwood managers “alternate like clockwork” and recalled the 2023 shooting death of a 13-year-old and a more recent homicide involving a squatter at the Richmond Summit. Johnson said he’d been all over the building with no supervision due to the absence of security.
Commissioner Catherine Smith Rice, who spearheaded a 2022 effort to crack down on Redwood, said the company makes empty promises.
“The minute we turn our backs, all hell breaks loose,” she said. “To this day, nothing’s been done.”
Neighbor Frank Dolan played audio of 14 gunshots, during which the shooter stopped to reload. He suggested Duke spend the night at the Bon Air and said his talk of security was a joke. Dolan said he’s been in touch with Sen. Lindsay Graham and golfed with President Trump.
“If you’re paying a security guard, you need to get your money back,” Dolan said.
Rice made a motion to put Redwood’s license on probation, but Interim General Counsel Jim Plunkett said the company needed more notice and a hearing before that could be done. The commission voted 9-0 with Commissioner Don Clark out to give Redwood till November to make improvements or lose its license.
Commission considers night work on Broad Street project
The commission is considering spending $13 million in discretionary sales tax funds to shave a year off the completion date for the Broad Street project.
Engineering and Environmental Services Director Hameed Malik presented a proposal he put together from E.R. Snell, the main contractor on the massive streetscape project.
Currently, the schedule calls for the interior lanes to be completed by July 20, 2027 and the remainder of the project by Oct. 27, 2028, according to a handout from Malik.
Adding the night work would move the internal completion to Oct. 30, 2026 and the rest to Oct. 26, 2027, it said.
The additional work would cost the city $13 million, according to Malik’s estimate. The funds could come from the Transportation Investment Act “discretionary” allocations, which average around $4 million a year. Unlike regular TIA collections, the funds aren’t tied to particular transportation projects.
Commissioners questioned how Malik was able to find the needed funds.
“Every time we speak, you don’t have enough money,” Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle said.
The commission voted to examine the financial implications and move the item to the next Engineering Services committee meeting.
