As Augusta struggles with the future of other historic properties, two local groups are proposing to save the historic Dyess Park fire station rather than see the city tear it down.
The 135-year-old fire station sits at the corner of Dyess Park on James Brown Boulevard and served as the community center for the shuttered city park. The Augusta Commission approved a plan in 2023 to demolish the station as part of its master plan for creating a new recreational facility at the site.
The proposal, from Historic Augusta Inc. and Augusta Epic LLC, goes for a recommendation Tuesday by the city’s Administrative Services committee. A city committee made up of department personnel has recommended denial, for several reasons.
Working with Historic Augusta, Augusta Epic partners Tobin Hagler and Christopher Junkin are proposing to renovate the station for $375,000 into rent-generating commercial and office space.
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The proposal, in exchange for transferring the station to one of the groups, is less costly than the $200,000 Augusta has budgeted just to demolish the station, the petitioners wrote.
The project will have impacts including honoring the community of first responders who used the station, improving safety by having tenants present there and adding to economic growth by attracting business, they said.
It also may “discourage intoxicated individuals from lingering near the playground,” they said.
While there’s no direct connection between the proposal and other efforts to save historic buildings in Augusta, Historic Augusta has recently encouraged a similar effort by the city’s Historic Preservation Commission to push the private owner of the historic former First Baptist Church downtown to make costly repairs.
The city committee’s recommendation to deny the Dyess proposal cites community feedback that has “consistently shown a preference for removing the center” which doesn’t integrate with the park’s “overall design and function.”
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It cites a lack of cost-benefit analysis for demolishing it versus a redesign, wrote Recreation and Parks Director Tameka Williams.
The proposal “significantly underestimates” the cost of restoring the center, while its commercial aspects compromise the park’s “mission to remain an accessible public space,” she wrote.
Other matters going for a committee recommendation Tuesday include:
- Adopting a resolution authorizing the Public Finance Authority issue $175,000 in tax-exempt bonds for the acquisition of property on Deans Bridge Road associated with Miller-Motte College and other Ancora training facilities. A public hearing is scheduled on the bond issue at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
