The Grovetown Depot project is further underway, as the city has invited contractors to bid on its construction.
Plans to develop a community center at the site of the old train depot on East Robinson Avenue have been in place since at least 2015, with discussions brewing before then, and the city adding it to the 2016 Comprehensive Plan.
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In September of 2022, the Grovetown City Council voted to approve a $114,000 contract with architectural firm Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood for the design of the facility and for construction administration services.
The Georgia Railroad built its first iteration in 1879, which was replaced by a larger structure in 1891. Wide transition to bus transportation put operations at the depot on hiatus from about 1930 to the early 194’s, when the construction of Camp Gordon saw the need to transport troops and supplies. Passenger trains on their way to Atlanta from Augusta passed through Grovetown’s depot until 1968. The Grovetown railroad depot was demolished in 1973.
The new project would entail building a facility modeled after an old train station, a one-story building with a mechanical mezzanine and a tall window monitor in the middle of the roof. The center would be available to the public for a variety of events, such as weddings, birthday parties and other gatherings.
“We’re certainly looking forward to the completion of this project,” said Public Information Officer Jordan Johnson. “To provide an event space for our community and a slice of nostalgia for those that remember the original depot in the City of Grovetown.”
Grovetown will receive offers from prospective builders until the bid date on Aug. 16, when the city will publicly consider each bid at the city hall council chambers at 2 p.m.
The city aims to break ground in September, Johnson notes, with a projected construction time of about a year.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
