While former Augusta Historic Preservation Commission President Tara Conway is alleged to have kept herself busy using government contacts to rule over other people’s roofs, she hasn’t too keen to pay her own renovation contractors.
Conway resigned from the HPC after accusations emerged that she tried to use her pull in the quasi-governmental organization to settle an old personal score and force the owners of the historic First Baptist Church on Greene Street to either restore the building to her specifications or demolish the structure.
The owners, which include The Augusta Press Publisher Joe Edge, say they were forced to file a Certificate of Appropriateness in February of this year, asking for a demolition permit, due, in part, to Conway’s actions.
A paper trail shows that this is not the first time Conway is alleged to have used her personal connections in government as leverage.
MORE: Fate of historic church remains undetermined
Court documents show that Conway and her husband, Tim, were sued in 2023 by Superior Commercial Contracting, a roofing company, for failure to pay for services and materials.
It is also alleged that Tara Conway attempted to use her contacts to besmirch the company’s reputation and to avoid paying the outstanding $18,052.96 left on an original bill of $38,249.90.
The suit was filed in Richmond County State Court in June 2023, after the company had taken out a lien on the Conway’s Meigs Street property. Court documents indicate the roofing job was to replace an aged roof.
Court documents show that the work was certified and passed an inspection by Augusta Code Enforcement. However, Conway was apparently not satisfied and claimed that gaping holes in the attic made the outside visible “where water and vermin can get in.”
Documents show Conway asked that the roof be re-inspected by Keith Petty of Code Enforcement personally, who agreed to visit the property, but Petty also stated by email: “I can have a look at this, whether or not our department has any leverage with the roofing contractor is a different matter.”
On April 17, 2023, Petty filed that the work had passed the re-inspection and two weeks later sent an email to Superior Commercial Contracting relieving them from any further responsibility: “There is no issue with roof, no additional work required. Inspection completed.”
MORE: Owners file demolition application for old First Baptist Church
Conway still was not satisfied and asked Jeff Sherman, from Lovelace Roofing, a competitor of Superior Commercial Contracting, to conduct a third inspection, and this time, she apparently got the results she wanted.
Sherman wrote to Conway on May 4, 2023 that “this must have been their 1st time installing,” concluding that no supervisors must have been on the job as the new roof was installed.
“They didn’t properly flash around the 4 corners, I can see thru (sic) the wall and into the attic, This problem is an active water leak, which will probably leak thru the ceilings, creating a larger problem for the homeowners…this roof will prematurely fail due to the poor workmanship, this would be a very nice job, if done correctly,” Sherman wrote.
Mysteriously, Augusta Code Enforcement’s records were amended on June 1, 2023, where an “inspector’s note” appears on the permit, stating “inspection outcome changed due to noncompliant installation of roofing materials and flashing not observable from ground.”
According to State Court Case Management, the lawsuit remains pending. Conway could not be reached by phone, and the inspector she is accused of strong-arming, Petty, passed away in January of this year.
However, more records show Conway insisted on her neighbors complying with property rules and laws even before she was appointed to the HPC by District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith-Rice.
MORE: Board cites owner of historic Baptist church for upkeep issues
HPC records show that Conway complained and brought the owners of Augusta Sport & Spine Physicians before the body in 2019 for having a sign on their property that was not approved by the HPC.
Conway complained that the illuminated sign shone directly into her windows, and continued to press the matter after she had conceded that the owners had permanently cut the power to the offending sign.
Records also show that in 2013, Conway led a delegation to speak before the HPC, urging the body to deny a certificate of appropriateness for contractors to build a new residence at 2117 Richmond Ave., even though, according to the HPC’s Aug. 4, 2023 meeting minutes, the planned new dwelling met all of Historic Augusta, Inc.’s guidelines.
Conway and others state on the record that they felt the front porch was not “deep” enough, the plans for a poured solid driveway were not to their liking and they protested the cutting of mature trees, even though the builder maintained he planned to keep as many old growth, healthy trees as possible as they added to the property’s overall value.
MORE: Historic Preservation Commission chair targeted First Baptist Church owners
With the old First Baptist Church property, Edge says that Conway conspired with local attorney George Bush, former board chair of Historic Augusta Inc., to force him to hand over the old First Baptist Church free of charge to that organization so that the Jessye Norman School of Arts could have a new performance venue.
Meanwhile, it appears that Conway’s manufactured controversy over the old First Baptist Church building is having long-term ramifications for the HPC as the Augusta Commission voted unanimously on Feb. 4 to hold workshops intended to change the ordinances creating and governing the HPC.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter, Editorial Page Editor and weekly columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
