Augusta, GA
Check out the first wish list for projects to include in the next penny sales tax
Augusta Commissioners this month started reviewing the “wish list” projects recommended for funding by the next Special Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST, that will be voted on later this year.
If approved, this would be the ninth SPLOST for Augusta, Hephzibah, and Blythe. Before the vote, public hearings will be held to get residents input about items proposed to receive funding.
Interim County Administrator Taliyah Douse recently told commissioners she estimates the next round of SPLOST revenues will generate $300 million. That is $50 million more than SPLOST 8, which was approved in 2021.
A SPLOST is an optional penny sales tax used to fund capital outlay projects proposed by the county government and participating qualified municipal governments. Voters in each county decide if the tax will be levied.
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Central Services Interim Director Ron Lampkin last week presented the requests for facility projects. The requests for infrastructure projects will be presented by Director of Engineering Hameed Malik later.
Douse cautioned the commissioners that the facility requests already exceeded the $300 million she projects the next SPLOST will generate.
Projects proposed in Lampkin’s request for sales tax funding include:
- New Richmond County Correctional Institute: That project was approved for $11 million in SPLOST 8, but more funds are needed to complete the project, Lampkin said. The actual cost was much more than the allocation, so the plans were scaled down to accommodate fewer inmates, he said. The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office agreed with the plan. Another $14 million from SPLOST 9 is needed to build the new facility.
- New fleet service center: The current Fleet Service Center on Broad Street will be moved to the 10-acre site on Old Louisville Road on land owned by the city’s fire department. The project is expected to cost $40.5 million, with $6 million already allocated from SPLOST 8.
- New juvenile court center on the site of Craig-Houghton Elementary School: The $46.1 million project presented includes renovations and new construction that can be done in phases. Commissioner Sean Frantom asked Lampkin why this project had grown from 40,000-square-feet to 100,000-square-feet and from $8 million to $46.1 million. Lampkin explained that the staff met with the retiring Chief Judge Danny Craig and other judges who made changes to the original plan that increased costs. Frantom asked Lampkin to go to the incoming judges to determine their vision. “I’m presenting it to you guys now so you can decide what we’re going to do,” Lampkin said. The project can be done in phases, he said.
- New Pod and Renovations at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center: The estimate for this project has increased from $50 million to $67 million. Lampkin said there are problems with the existing pods at the detention center and it would not be prudent to build the new pods like the others, Lampkin said. For example, he said, stronger glass is needed for windows in the facility.
- Augusta Convention Center – Project Get Up & Expand: The Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau is asking for $31.5 million to add another 53,000 square feet to the front and back of the existing 83,000 square feet building, and another $10.5 million to add 300 additional parking spaces to its parking garage. Between 2013 and 2023, the estimated financial impact the center has had on the local economy is $176 million, Lampkin said. The commissioners were supportive of the program but asked if the project could be scaled back since there are so many requests.
- Renovations at Richmond County Animal Services: The requested $5.5 million would go to renovating the aging shelter. But Commissioner Tony Lewis stressed that the board needed to be looking at replacing the building rather than fixing it up. “I don’t want to see us spend $5 million and have the same footprint,” he said. “I don’t think I need to pay somebody $5 million to tell me this building needs to be replaced.”
- Housing and Community Development Renovations: $3.5 million for renovations of the department’s offices on Fenwick Street.
- New Coroner’s Office: $6.6 million for design and construction of a new facility. There may be city-owned available, Lampkin said. The cost estimated was based on a smaller, but similar coroner’s office recently constructed in Aiken County.
- Facility Improvements/On-Call Services: $10 million for projects such as roof replacements, electrical and lighting replacements, HVAC parts and unit replacements
- New Recreation and Parks Department building design: $1.5 million for a new building at the same site on Lumpkin Road.
- 5th Street Bridge Zip Line Family Outdoor Adventure: $3 million to being construction of a large zip line that will cross the river and back. This is part of a bigger project that will include activities around the 5th Street Bridge area.
- Total for new and renovated facilities: $194,879,907
Additional requests
- New Boathouse: $20 million.
- Marina: $6 million.
- WT. Johnson Community Center: $20 million.
- Diamond Lakes Regional Park: $15 million.
- Maintenance and capital replacement for city swimming pools: $5 million.
- May Park Community Center Upgrades: $2.5 million
- Multi-gym athletic complex: $30 million
- City cemeteries: $10 million
Total for additional requests: $108.5 million.
Grand total for SPLOST 9 facility requests: $303 million.
Commissioners were concerned that a splash park that was approved by the voters in the 2021 SPLOST wasn’t mentioned in these recommendations and no action has been taken on the project. There was $5 million set aside for the project.
“I’m disappointed there hasn’t been more effort put into making it happen. Let’s go find a company that wants to work with this,” said Commissioner Brandon Garrett said. The commission wants to find a company to operate the facility rather than the city operating it.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – One of the CSRA’s longest-tenured and most accomplished high school girls basketball coaches has died.
Sunday evening, Lucy C. Laney High School released the following statement:
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Coach Smart. He has been a staple on the Blvd for years and will be remembered for generations to come. Our prayers are with his family, athletic community, students, and staff that have had the privilege of having had a connection to this great man over the years. We will post any updates as they are received regarding any services and remembrances that are shared with us.”
Smart spent more than four decades leading the Wildcats, building one of the most successful programs in Georgia high school basketball history.
Smart’s coaching career spanned more than 40 years at Laney, where he won multiple state championships and amassed more than 1,000 career victories.
Earlier this year, he became one of the few high school basketball coaches in Georgia to reach the 1,000-win milestone, a feat that reflected not only his longevity but also the sustained excellence of his program.
His success extended far beyond the win column. Throughout his career, Smart helped develop generations of student-athletes, many of whom credited him with teaching life lessons that extended well beyond basketball. Former players frequently described him as a mentor, role model and father figure whose impact reached classrooms, families and the Augusta community.
Back in February, News 12/26 spoke with several of Smart’s former players following his 1,000th career victory. Not one of them had anything negative to say about the coach who helped shape their lives.
“He is the face of women’s high school basketball in my eyes, and an incredible man and coach,” former Laney standout Destiny Brewton told News 12/26 in February. “His long-standing dedication and remarkable success over the years have left an indelible mark on the school and the community.”
Former player Morgan Lee said Smart taught his teams to value each other as family.
“He taught us how to work as a family. He taught us how to come together as one and treat each other with respect,” Lee said.
His influence also stretched across generations. Trina Lee, a 1984 Laney graduate and Morgan’s mother, marveled that Smart was still leading the Wildcats more than four decades after coaching her.
When News 12/26 last spoke with Smart about his milestone, he downplayed the significance of the number itself. Although his 1,000th official victory came via a forfeit, Smart chose to personally recognize the team’s win over Glenn Hills as the moment he truly reached the milestone, a reflection of the competitive spirit that defined his career.
For decades, Smart became synonymous with Laney girls basketball, transforming the Wildcats into a perennial state contender while earning the respect of opponents, coaches and former players throughout Georgia.
His legacy will be measured not only by championships and victories, but by the countless young women whose lives he helped shape.
Richmond County Schools released a statement his passing as well:
“Coach Smart was basketball coach, mentor, a guiding light, and a cornerstone of our community. For decades, Coach Smart didn’t just win games; he shaped futures. Coach Smart didn’t just represent Laney High School; he embodied it. Today, we don’t just mourn the loss of a coach; we say goodbye to “Mr. Laney” Coach Smart, thank you for showing us all what it truly means to be a champion in life. You will never be forgotten.”
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Newly obtained records show the Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council moved to revoke the certifications of eight Richmond County school police officers tied to an online training cheating scandal.
It’s a case investigators described as involving shared answer keys, deleted group texts and a department culture where some officers said cheating had become routine.
POST opened the investigation around Sept. 3, 2024, after allegations that Richmond County Board of Education Police Department officers cheated on online training courses for which they received POST credit.
The two courses identified in the file were Introduction to Human Trafficking and De-escalation for Law Enforcement, administered online through Virtual Academy. The core allegation is that officers shared screenshots/test answers in a group text so others could complete required online training faster.
Our previous reporting showed the case had grown to nine officers, with Officer Tajuana Jones receiving 24 months of probation and being ordered to take an ethics and professionalism course, while the remaining cases were still open because the officers had requested hearings.
POST records appear to show the next step: for eight officers — Dorothy Holmon, Kara Anderson, Anthony Dubois, Brian Jackson, Wallace Lebrane, Kellie Holland, Jacquez Williams and Nathan Mercer — the POST Probable Cause Committee recommended revocation, and the full council accepted those recommendations in June 2026.
According to the file, the Board of Education hired a third party entity to investigate. That investigation found Sgt. Dorothy Holmon and Cpl. Kara Anderson shared test answers. Officers identified as being in the group text and receiving answers included Brian Jackson, Jacquez Williams, Anthony Dubois, Wallace Lebrane and Kellie Holland.
POST also noted a limitation: there were other phone numbers in the group text, but the group had been deleted or disbanded before POST started investigating, preventing investigators from identifying every number
They have 30 days to file a formal appeal. The process requires submitting a written request for a pre-hearing conference or administrative hearing, a notarized written response to the allegations, and a required administrative fee.
The school system said it couldn’t comment because this is an active personnel matter.
The officers
Dorothy Holmon
• POST paints Holmon as one of the central figures. She admitted taking screenshots of test questions and answers and sending them to subordinates in a group text, and she described what she called a “culture of cheating” going back to 2000. POST says she also encouraged subordinates to go ahead and take the tests after sending the answers. The PCC recommended revocation, and the Full Council accepted it
Kara Anderson
• Anderson also admitted supplying test answers to the group text and acknowledged she knew it was wrong. She told POST her motivation was to get mandatory training completed quickly because of staffing issues. The PCC recommended revocation, and the Full Council accepted it
Anthony Dubois
• Dubois admitted receiving the group text and using the information to check his answers before submitting his test. He also described a broader culture of cheating in the department. POST records say his test score matched Holmon’s and that he missed the same questions. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Jacquez Williams
• Williams admitted receiving answer-key screenshots from Holmon and Anderson and admitted using them to complete his Virtual Academy testing. He also admitted he did not report the cheating up the chain of command. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Wallace Lebrane
• Lebrane admitted receiving a text from Holmon containing test answers and acknowledged it with blue-heart emojis, according to POST. He denied using the answers, but POST noted his test results matched Holmon’s, including missed questions. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Brian Jackson
• Jackson admitted receiving a group text from Holmon containing test answers but said he did not use them and did not take the tests at issue. POST’s concern appears to be that he did not report the message, despite being a supervisor. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Kellie Holland
• Holland admitted receiving a group text from Holmon but said the image was blurry and that she did not report it. POST records also say she admitted receiving answers for required Board of Education “GCN” testing from teachers. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Nathan Mercer
• Mercer’s case is different from the group-text cases. The file focuses on statements about whether Holmon was going to help him with a test tied to University of Georgia football special-duty work, and whether his account conflicted with statements from other officers. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Tajuana Jones
• Jones was covered in a March story. POST records at that time showed she received 24 months of probation, had to complete an ethics and professionalism course, and was accused of receiving answers but not reporting the misconduct.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The South Augusta YMCA will not renew its lease at the Tobacco Road location, the Y confirmed.
The shopping center is being sold, and the current lease ends in October.
The Y has not announced a final day at the current location. Officials said they plan to announce that date and next steps for South Augusta later this month.
The YMCA said it still plans to serve South Augusta after the lease expires.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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