AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta city leaders are inviting the community to review and provide feedback on the Draft Data Center Ordinance.

The draft ordinance is part of an ongoing review process led by Augusta Planning & Development to update local regulations and ensure they better reflect the needs, priorities and long-term growth of the community.

The draft has not been approved or finalized, officials say.

Public meetings will be held at the following dates and times:

• July 6 at 3 p.m.
• July 14 at 1 p.m.
• July 21 at 2 p.m.

All meetings will be located at the Augusta Municipal Building, 535 Telfair Street, in room 291 on the second floor.

“This process is part of Augusta, Georgia Government’s continued commitment to transparency, community engagement and responsible planning,” said Director Adleasia Cameron.

Feedback received during the review period will help inform the next steps in the ordinance review process before the item is presented for consideration by the governing body.

Community members will also be able to review the draft document and submit comments online.

In June, Augusta commissioners imposed a 49-day pause on new data centers. But it didn’t apply to the QTS data center.

Many Haynes Station residents were surprised when groundwork started on the site of the data center along Gordon Highway. Then they found it was an expanded version of a data center that had been approved before their homes were even built.

“ My concern is not simply whether a data center can be built, but it is whether we have enough information to determine it can be built responsibly and sustainably, and whether the public will have meaningful ways to verify that the commitments being made today are honored in the future,” said Suzettra Walker.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The 2026 Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival will take place September 18-20 at the Augusta Exchange Club Fairgrounds this year, while construction continues on Broad Street.

This year’s theme is “One Big Festival to Support One Small Non-Profit.”

Festival badges will go on sale in mid-July and will be available for purchase at:

• All Richmond County Tag Offices
• Augusta & Co.
• Sacred Heart Cultural Center
• 4P Studios
• The Treehouse
• Relic Coffee

Additional badge sale locations, entertainment schedules, and festival programming are expected to be announced throughout the summer.

“We are incredibly excited about this year’s festival,” said Denise Tucker, Executive Director of the Greater Augusta Arts Council. “Although we’re in a new location, our mission remains the same. We’re creating a beautiful, welcoming, and inspiring festival experience while raising the funds that allow us to serve the arts year-round.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta’s new arena has reached a major construction milestone, with the superstructure steel now complete and crews shifting focus to interior work, according to project officials.

The 10-story facility spans 900 feet and has required 18,000 yards of concrete and 440,000 man hours of labor. Seventh Street, which runs adjacent to the site, is expected to reopen next month as construction progresses.

On schedule and on budget

Brad Usry of the Augusta-Richmond Coliseum Authority said the project remains on track financially and logistically.

“We are on schedule and on budget and that’s the big thing for us,” Usry said.

Usry said the finished building will offer amenities the city’s old coliseum could not, including luxury boxes, low seating, and expanded concession options.

“All the bells and whistles you get with a new arena — the premiere experiences, the luxury boxes, the low seating, the concession options beyond a piece of pizza,” Usry said.

Built to handle any show

Usry said the new arena’s infrastructure was specifically designed to support large-scale productions that exceeded the old coliseum’s capacity.

“If they’re hanging lights, if they’re hanging trapeze, if they’re hanging speakers — the shows were too much for our infrastructure,” Usry said. “This will hold any show you can bring to town.”

What’s the timeline?

Project officials are targeting a partial opening for graduation ceremonies in 2027, with full completion expected in June or July of that year.

“We are shooting for graduation next year, 2027, to be able to facilitate that for the city of Augusta — and we are looking at a final completion for the overall project in June and July of next year,” said Branden, a project official on site.

Usry added: “It’s going to be super nice and what Augusta deserves.”

The new arena will also serve as home to Augusta’s new hockey team. With the building now NCAA-eligible, the city will be able to bid on college sporting events for the first time.