Election Day is here and Augusta voters have one big choice to make: Whether to fund construction of a new 10,500-seat arena with a new half-cent sales tax.
The arena is the only item on the countywide Richmond County ballot, while two smaller jurisdictions, Grovetown and Blythe, have municipal elections today. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
In a final push, arena supporters gathered at the 45-year-old James Brown Arena downtown Monday to encourage support for the referendum.
Rep. Mark Newton, R-Augusta, the lead sponsor of legislation allowing a referendum on the arena sales tax, said the area needs a large, new entertainment venue to appeal to “next-generation workers” of the industries of tomorrow.
MORE: Learn more about the proposed arena
Industry looks for three things – an educated workforce, health care and quality of life, and Augusta has health care and a strong technical college and university system in the bag, Newton said.
Newton said he took pains to ensure the legislation had “guard rails” to ensure funds could only be used for an arena. The new tax won’t apply to food or medicine, he said.
“I’m excited to ask everybody to vote yes,” he said.
Turnout was low in advance voting with less than 4% casting ballots. Travis Doss, executive director for Richmond County Board of Elections, projected final turnout of 8-12%.
Augusta commissioners Jordan Johnson and Sean Frantom again assumed the persona of “the Arena Boys,” a boisterous duo in support of the construction project at the rally.
“We’re coming to you live from the James Brown Arena, where tomorrow it’s going to be called the old James Brown Arena,” Frantom said. “Come June of 2024, you’re going to see a big wrecking ball, Miley Cyrus-style, not this 1979 hunk-of-junk, can’t-have-big-shows-right-now arena.”
The new arena will feature an Ice hockey franchise as well as wrestling, a favorite of Johnson and Frantom.
“This is our chance to build a brighter Augusta, to build a better downtown and tomorrow we’re going to go to the polls and we’re going to make it happen,” Johnson said.
Former Augusta Lynx John Whitwell said at the rally that Zawyer Sports, which owns hockey franchises in Jacksonville, Savannah, Lake Tahoe and Allen, Texas, will bring a franchise to Augusta if voters approve the new arena.
“We have a contract now that will put a hockey team here if we get an arena,” he said.
Downtown supporter Dan Funsch said the vote is a critical investment in downtown Augusta.
“To me, the clincher is that If we don’t capitalize on the opportunity to invest in downtown, our neighbor counties are going to sometime down the road,” he said.
Opponents called the project a “boondoggle” whose costs are certain to rise above the $250 million voters are being asked to approve plus up to $183 million in interest to borrow the money ahead of tax collections.
A sales tax is “regressive, so it taxes everybody,” said attorney Terry Leiden. “As far as Richmond County, two-thirds of Richmond County can’t afford a ticket to a $450 show.”
Construction will require Augusta to have no arena for up to three years to host graduations and other events that cost less than a high-end concert.
“It’s a massive, structurally-sound building. I think tearing it down and building a new one on its footprint is stupid,” said former commission candidate Michael Thurman, who has campaigned against the referendum.
Thuman said while they don’t get to vote, Columbia County parents don’t support the project due to its location.
“If Richmond County builds it, they can’t, and so their kids won’t be able to enjoy it,” he said.
Grovetown, Blythe elections
In Grovetown, voters are electing a mayor and two at-large councilmembers. Incumbent Mayor Gary Jones faces a challenge from two women who’ve served on the council, Ceretta Smith and Deborah Fisher.
Voters also will select two councilmembers from among three candidates: Incumbent Eric Blair, former planning commission chairman Richard Bowman and event organizer and former candidate Marsha Keating.
Blythe voters will select two councilmembers from four at-large candidates.
The candidates include incumbent retired veteran Noel Cartagena and incumbent Daniel Martin, who has a pending 2018 indictment for vote-buying in a Blythe election.
The challengers include small business-owner Anna M. Reeves and retired veteran Mike Rineer.
How to vote in the election
The voter registration deadline has passed. All voters must use their assigned polling places Tuesday.
All Augusta polling places remain the same as prior elections, except for voters who use the Henry Brigham Center. Due to construction, those voters will vote next door at Belle Terrace Presbyterian Church. Voters who used the Hephzibah-Carroll Center have been moved to Oasis church of Hephzibah.
All Blythe voters vote at Blythe City Hall.
Grovetown voters will use their usual polling places on Election Day, with one exception. Voters who used Grove First Baptist now vote at the Grovetown Branch Library, 105 Old Wrightsboro Road.
