Augusta, GA
Augusta Commission enters debate over future of dilapidated First Baptist Church downtown
The Augusta Commission’s discussion on the future of a downtown church Tuesday prompted questions about how the city’s Historic Preservation Commission executes its duties.
The old First Baptist Church at the corner of Eighth and Greene streets has been listed as endangered for several years by local and state historical preservationists eager to see the ornate 1902 structure saved.
The dispute over the property has sparked criticism implying that the HPC sometimes singles out owners publicly and not just the state of properties.
“The HPC has acted lawfully and appropriately per the Historic Preservation Ordinance for Augusta, Ga.,” board vice-chairman Dave Barbee told Augusta commissioners Tuesday. “The HPC is in the business of saving historic structures, not demolition by neglect.”
Augusta real-estate executive Joe Edge bought the First Baptist property in 2020 intending to renovate it, five years after the city condemned the dilapidated building.
In January, the HPC cited the property for several code violations and directed Edge to begin addressing the violations within 10 days. Edge responded by filing a certificate of appropriateness to demolish the old church, which stands on the site where the Southern Baptist Convention was established in 1845.
Edge has contended that he has paid for extensive repairs to the property, although city code enforcement officials seem to have no record of permits showing the work.
District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith Rice and District 7 Commissioner Tina Slendak, who attended the January HPC meeting, said the commission dealt with Edge in an imperious manner.
An HPC counsel “drilled this particular owner of this church like he was in a courtroom,” Rice said, who added the line of questioning “felt like it was personal.”
District 6 Commissioner Tony Lewis also said he was at the meeting but takes issue “with the notion that (Edge) was bashed in any way. That’s not how I perceived it. I perceived it as looking for answers to a problem.”
“People have said we’re stepping out of bounds, we’re targeting,” Barbee said. “That’s the furthest thing from the truth. All we’re looking at is the building and that’s it.”
Augusta Planning and Development Director Carla Delaney suggested a more collaborative approach toward problem-solving between then HPC and property owners. Her department works with the HPC in a support role.
“A lot of times the complaint I get back as the director is that the individuals who don’t have the ability to hire an architect or pay for arbitration end up dropping and withdrawing,” she said. “So we need to look at a way to revisit this so we have the opportunity for those with less resources to be able to move forward and be able to meet the needs of the HPC.”
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a wanted man.
35-year-old Oniel Gary Cameron is wanted for an incident that occurred on Bridgewater Drive in Augusta Thursday.
Authorities say his charges include:
- Cruelty to children 3rd Degree
- Criminal Damage to Property 1st Degree
- Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon
Cameron reportedly has warrants on file with RCSO and is known to drive a black Toyota Seqoia with a Georgia tag of D-E-E-8-6-7-2.
He is believed to be Armed and Dangerous.
Anyone that comes into contact with Cameron or has any information on his location is urged to call the Richmond County Sheriff’s office at 706-821-1020 or 706-821-1080.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Dr. Lori Myles says Augusta has been running without real accountability, and she wants to change that.
The former educator is one of four candidates running for Augusta-Richmond County mayor. Myles said the city’s most pressing issues are not new — they have just gone unaddressed.
“One of the things that I truly believe that the city of Augusta has gone through is that there was no accountability,” Myles said.
Myles has run for mayor before. She said her first days in office would be spent visiting each commissioner’s district to see what needs attention.
“I wanna go to their best places. I wanna see their dirt. I wanna see those things that need to be fixed in their parts. I wanna see the infrastructure of the city of Augusta, but yet, I wanna see the pride of Augusta in their districts,” Myles said.
Homelessness focus
Myles pointed to homelessness as one of Augusta’s overlooked issues.
“You’re dealing with different entities of homelessness. You’re dealing with them as far as mental health. You’re dealing with them as far as their children, as far as their children going to school. Imagine, and I’m about to quit, darling, but children having to sleep in tents at night behind these trees and then still go to school,” Myles said.
City department management
Myles also takes aim at how the city manages its departments.
“There should be a performance-based structure of leadership, a transformation that has a shared vision, a shared vision for not only the millennials, the, not only the, uh, what is it? Generation Z, but for everyone. It’s not a color, it’s not an option, it is all shall be able to have the best of Augusta in the best of Augusta,” Myles said.
Myles said if elected, she wants to bring Augusta’s city departments under one unified standard of accountability.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
VIDEO: Greek Festival returns downtown
The spring Greek Festival returns to downtown Augusta held this weekend.
Another downtown Augusta hotel is preparing to go vertical four years after the city approved the project.
Augusta has seen a spate of hotel construction and renovation recently. The former Sky City building on the 1100 block of Broad Street has been demolished to make way for an Embassy Suites. In November 2025, interior demolition began at the Ramada by Wyndham Augusta Downtown Hotel and Conference Center at 640 Broad St. to transform it into a distinctive Marriott property called The Conroy.
Now, subcontracting bids are being tendered to construct an extended-stay Residence Inn by Marriott at the corner of 13th and Walker streets. Plan holder Optum Construction of Gainesville, Ga., is accepting bids until 1 p.m. on May 13.
American Concrete successfully petitioned the city in 2022 for a zoning variance on the property to allow the hotel’s construction.
The land was sold in November 2022 to a limited-liability company associated with PeachState Hospitality. The Warner Robins-based company’s property portfolio includes the Residence Inn and the SpringHill Suites at 1110 and 1116 Marks Church Road, respectively, and the Fairfield Inn & Suites at 3023 1/2 Washington Road.
The 2-acre parcel of property shaped like a piece of pie was the former site of local business American Concrete, now on Wheeler Road.
The land had been an industrial site for much of the past century, as the longtime site of Perkins Lumber, then of paving contractor Southern Roadbuilders.
Now the property finds itself amid a downtown revitalization, including improved roads and riverside activities, such as a pedestrian bridge and a planned outdoor activity center featuring a zipline over the Savannah River. The future hotel would sit near downtown, the city’s bustling medical district, and a new entertainment complex taking the place of the former James Brown Arena.
-
World1 minute ago‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Boss on the Season 22 Finale: How Teddy and Owen Say Goodbye and That Surprising Meredith Twist
-
News7 minutes agoDemocratic Candidates and Voters Challenge Tennessee’s New Map
-
Politics13 minutes agoVirginia Court Strikes Down Redistricted Voting Map in a Huge Blow to Democrats
-
Business19 minutes agoTrump’s Latest Tariff Setback Looms Over China Talks
-
Science25 minutes agoHantavirus Is Nothing Like Coronavirus, but It’s Bringing Some ‘Covid P.T.S.D.’
-
Culture43 minutes agoHow ‘The Sheep Detectives’ Brought its Ovine Sleuths to Life
-
Lifestyle49 minutes agoWhy Everyone Was So Mad About the Met Gala
-
Education55 minutes agoShe Tried to Help Schools Build Healthier Playgrounds. Then Her E.P.A. Grant Was Canceled.