AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The future of the Augusta Historic Preservation Commission remains uncertain after months of back-and-forth between city leaders.

Commissioners met on Wednesday to discuss possible changes to the ordinance.

This comes after the panel came under fire from city leaders over the decaying Old First Baptist Church.

Some leaders want to do away with the ordinance, while others are fighting for it to stay.

We caught up with Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson and Augusta Commission member Catherine Smith-Rice after the meeting.

“Decisions made, especially as it relates to homeowners, that it be brought before the commission before going to arbitration,” said Johnson. “No homeowner who’s bearing the costs of renovating a property that’s potentially hundreds of years old should have to bear the costs of an attorney if they are just trying to bring their house up to standard, so I would hope that decision would be brought before the governing body.”

“Augusta is an old city, and with what we have in Summerville, we’ve got a lot of old structures, so no, I don’t believe in doing away with the historic preservation,” said Smith-Rice. “They’ve been here for a while, we continue to keep them, and we need to work together.”

Commissioners talked about the guidelines within each district, the impact of downtown blight, and tax credits.

Johnson also says leaders are working on plans to help work on vacant buildings in the city.

“We had one of the best leadership organizations visiting our city and wanted to take a picture of the beautiful James Brown statue, but unfortunately, behind the James Brown statue is an eyesore. So, we are continuing to have conversations about how we could perhaps bring these buildings that are vacant to some level of decorum.”

Commissioners are expected to make a decision at the next committee meeting.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/Gray News) – An American Airlines flight was evacuated at an airport in Georgia on Tuesday morning.

Officials with the Augusta Regional Airport said it was an inbound flight from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Upon landing, officials said a haze was reported inside the cabin of the aircraft.

The plane stopped and passengers were safely evacuated, airport officials said.

According to a spokesperson for American Airlines, flight No. 5406 experienced a maintenance issue after landing. Passengers deplaned and were escorted to the airport terminal.

“The safety of our customers is our top priority, and we apologize for the inconvenience,” the spokesperson shared in a statement.

Aircraft rescue and fire responded to the scene, but there was no fire reported.

The aircraft was scheduled to leave Augusta Regional Airport later in the afternoon, but has been rescheduled.

Airport officials said it was the only flight affected on Tuesday at Augusta Regional.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced road closure restrictions during gold week.

The agency says construction-related lane closures on interstates and major state routes leading to Augusta will be restricted from April 2 to April 14.

Lane closure on I-20 form Covington to Augusta and I-520 will be suspended. Additionally, all Georgia DOT projects in Columbia, Richmond, Burke, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, and McDuffie Counties will be affected.

The department will also send HERO units and additional CHAMP units to the area for traffic-related incidents.

Drivers can call 511 to request the help of HERO or CHAMP units.

Georgia DOT has important reminders for travelers:

• While lane closures are suspended, construction crews may still be active near highways, and some long-term lane closures could remain in place for safety reasons. 
• Emergency or incident-related lane closures may still occur at any time, as needed. 
• Stay alert, follow road signs, and exercise extra caution, particularly near work zones. 

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