Owners of the historic First Baptist Church downtown say they believe they have been targeted by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and Historic Augusta.
One of the owners, Joe Edge, who is also publisher and an owner of the Augusta Press, contends that the board’s chairwoman Tara Conway and Historic Augusta have abused their power in an attempt to compel Edge to donate the property.
Conway has previous history with the church’s owners that was not disclosed to other board members or city staff.
Edge says that problems started after he was threatened by local attorney George Bush, who, at the time, was on the board of Historic Augusta. Edge says that Bush tried to convince him to give the building, free and clear, to Historic Augusta; however, Bush indicated that he wanted to see the building used for the Jessye Norman Performing Arts Center and that SPLOST money could be used for renovations if that were to happen.
Erick Montgomery, president of Historic Augusta, says that he wants to make it clear that Bush may have been speaking on behalf of the HPC, but not Historic Augusta, Inc.
MORE: Board cites owner of historic Baptist church for upkeep issues
“No one (from Historic Augusta) has tried to force his hand. We are not the HPC. That is a completely separate organization. Our position is the same here as it is with everyone. If an owner can save a building, we want it to be saved; but if he can’t, then he should sell it to someone who can,” Montgomery said.
According to an open records request, in the entire time that Edge has owned the building, only one complaint was registered with the HPC and that complaint was signed by Montgomery on June 20, 2024.
Montgomery says he doesn’t remember sending such a document as it is not the policy of Historic Augusta to file such arbitrary complaints, but he added that if he did so, it would have been at the direction of the board, which included Bush at the time.
When Edge refused to turn over the building, he says that Bush became combative and told him that he would use all the mechanisms of government to force Edge to give up the property.
“He told me to my face that he was going to make my life miserable, and he has tried. He called my mortgage company and tried to persuade them to file a foreclosure,” Edge said.
Edge says that Bush found an ally in someone with an even bigger ax to grind against his and a partner’s real estate firm, Sherman and Hemstreet. That person, Tara Conway, who now chairs the HPC board, never divulged to the board her prior business relationship with Sherman and Hemstreet.
Conway is a former tenant of a building the church’s owners managed. Following a magistrate court judge’s order, Conway and her husband Tim were evicted from the property, which was rented for their photography studio on Troupe Street. The eviction was due to habitual late payments and refusal to pay rent.
Later, Sherman & Hemstreet took over management of another commercial building where the Conways had another lease agreement. Eventually, they moved out.
Conway could not be reached for comment.
Edge is scheduled to address the Augusta Commission at its first regular meeting in February and says he plans to point out abuses of the HPC and propose changes to the HPC ordinance that could prevent other owners from suffering the same fate. It is the Augusta Commission that must ratify acts of the HPC.
Meanwhile, District 7 Commissioner Tina Slendak says she will be paying attention, not because of the current controversy but because she feels the city and commission need to look at all the quasi-governmental boards and make sure there is accountability with groups that represent the elected government.
“I have made appointments to some of the various boards, and I do not think city employees should be allowed to serve, for example. We, as a commission, need to be looking at all the various boards and authorities,” Slendak said.
Slendak says she is very much aware of the Old First Baptist issue and that she attended the last HPC meeting to learn more, but she wants to wait until all the evidence is presented before the commission before making a decision on which side is right.
