Is the return of ice hockey to Augusta on the horizon?
Could be. Augusta Commissioner Sean Frantom told the Facebook group “Bring Hockey Back to Augusta” that a group will present a study Tuesday on the return of the sport.
All that depends, however, on voters’ decision to approve a new James Brown Arena Nov. 7, Frantom said.
Brad Usry, vice chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority confirmed the authority is open to adding an ice rink to the construction project.
“We have a framework to get ice,” he said in a text message. “Got to get it paid for. Devil is in the details.”
The response is slightly different from two years ago, when hockey fans began clamoring for a team to occupy the new arena that went for voter approval Nov. 2, 2021.
Fans recalled the thrill of the Augusta Lynx, who played at the arena in the ECHL for a decade before folding in 2008.
The Lynx were replaced in 2010 by the Augusta Riverhawks, who lasted three years until a malfunctioning ice system at James Brown Arena forced them into a smaller practice facility.
The Riverhawks moved to Macon in 2014 and resumed play as the Macon Mayhem, which has a 56-game season ahead.
In 2021, authority members cited a feasibility study showing Augusta couldn’t support an arena sports tenant and did not include an ice rink in final plans to be funded through the 2021 referendum, which voters rejected. Shows such as Disney on Ice bring their own ice.
This time there’s been little to no mention of ice hockey and an ice rink doesn’t appear in drawings, marketing materials or lists of talking points. But a few things are different two years later.
One is the acquisition of entertainment complex manager Spectra by Oak View Group. Oak View Group operates multiple facilities with hockey teams, including 9,500-seat Enmarket Arena in Savannah. Oak View announced the return of ice hockey to Savannah prior to the arena’s 2022 opening and it’s now home to the Savannah Ghost Pirates.
Oak View also operates the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, a 16,000-seat arena home to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Charleston Coliseum, a 14,250-seat arena home to the home of the South Carolina Stingrays.
Another difference between Augusta’s 2021 referendum and the one Nov. 7 is the arena’s funding mechanism. Voters in 2021 were asked to approve a $240 million project funded through an increase in property taxes.
The upcoming vote would impose a half-cent sales tax to cover, with interest, borrowing up to $433 million to build a $250 million arena. If current sales tax collection rates remain, the tax will last for 17 years.
Advance voting in the referendum starts Oct. 16 at Augusta Municipal Building downtown and expands to three other sites the week before the election. Frantom said the announcement will be at 3 p.m. at the arena.
