Augusta, GA
Georgia opens new behavioral health crisis center in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday marked the opening of Georgia’s newest behavioral health crisis center.
The new state-of-the-art facility, operated by Serenity Behavioral Health Systems, officially opened at 3421 Mike Padgett Highway.
The center was made possible through a state investment, including nearly $14 million in construction funding and $9.4 million for operations provided by the state.
The center replaces Serenity’s previous 16-bed crisis stabilization unit, which served the community for 17 years with funding support from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
Expanded capacity
The new facility significantly expands crisis response capacity and includes:
- 24 crisis stabilization unit beds.
- 16 temporary 23-hour observation chairs,
- Capacity to serve up to 40 people at once.
- Staff increases from about 200 to 245
“We care. We’re here to help people. We’re here to serve,” said Chuck Williamson, the CEO of Serenity Behavioral Health.
The center will provide short-term stabilization, assessment and treatment services for individuals experiencing behavioral health or substance use crises.
People can seek services voluntarily or be referred through law enforcement, hospitals or the courts. The typical stay is three to five days but can be as long as 10 days.
Meeting community need
Bethany Trapp and Lt. Sean Rhodes say they head into encampments and wooded areas twice a month, connecting people in crisis to help.
“We go out and seek out these individuals that aren’t coming for resources, that may be suffering from a mental health situation,” said Rhodes, a lieutenant with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Homeless Outreach Team.
“We actually came across a couple of folks this morning who are in the middle of drug use, who said, ‘I want to get clean,’” said Trapp, program coordinator for CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority’s Marion Barnes Center.
Rhodes said law enforcement is often first on scene, and with emergency rooms and jails serving as the overflow for people in crisis, the need for this expansion goes beyond the new facility.
“This will take a lot of pressure off of the courts, off the jails, off law enforcement. There’s finally a place that’s very much dedicated and specialized in helping people when they have a crisis of those types,” Williamson said.
Part of statewide strategy
The opening of the Augusta Behavioral Health Crisis Center is part of Georgia’s broader strategy to build a stronger, more responsive behavioral health system focused on early intervention, crisis stabilization and long-term recovery support.
In the past five years, the state has started developing five new crisis center locations in Clayton, Fulton, Laurens and Richmond counties.
“This center represents hope for individuals and families experiencing a behavioral health or substance use crisis while also providing critical support to hospitals, law enforcement, and emergency responders throughout the region,” Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Kevin Tanner said at Wednesday’s ceremony.
“For the first time, in my lifetime, I see that behavioral health and mental health is being given respect and parity with primary care and physical health care,” Williamson said.
Officials with Serenity Behavioral Health said the timeline to move into the new facility is still being finalized, but they expect the transition to take place in June.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Meeting at the committee level Tuesday, Augusta commissioners took no action on proposed data center rules.
Instead, they sent the issue to the full commission with a deadline looming.
The current moratorium on new data centers expires July 21. If the full commission does not act by then, the freeze ends automatically.
The debate comes after months of complaints from neighbors about a proposed data center near Haynes Station, where residents have raised concerns about noise, lighting, and property values.
Planning Director Lisa Cameron said the proposed ordinance would place future data centers exclusively in heavy industrial zoning districts. She described it as a “living document” that can be updated over time as technology and community concerns change.
The Planning Commission did not recommend adopting the ordinance. Instead, it suggested the Augusta Commission consider extending the moratorium to allow more public discussion.
Commissioners debated whether to extend the moratorium by 30 or 60 days but could not agree. Both options would push a final decision to the August 18 commission meeting.
Cameron said staff’s recommendation remained adoption of the ordinance but said staff would support whatever direction the commission chooses.
Commissioners indicated they want any final ordinance to remain comprehensive — covering emergency management, utilities, fire, and engineering — rather than narrowed to zoning alone.
The proposed rules would apply only to future projects. The QTS data center already under construction on Gordon Highway would not be affected.
The full commission meets July 21 at 2 p.m. at the Municipal Building.
Zoning ordinance rewrite
Also as commissioners met Tuesday, Augusta’s Planning and Development Department asked for up to $68,368 more to finish the city’s comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite, along with a deadline extension pushing final adoption to November or December 2026.
The request moves to the full Augusta Commission next week. The additional funding would extend the contract with consultant White and Smith, LLC through the end of the year.
Cameron told commissioners Augusta’s current zoning ordinance dates to 1963 and has been amended piecemeal over the decades rather than comprehensively rewritten. She said after reviewing the consultant’s work, staff realized much of the existing language was simply being carried over rather than tailored to Augusta’s current needs.
Public outreach had been more limited than expected. Feedback from a recent meeting at Diamond Lakes showed many residents were unaware the zoning ordinance was even being rewritten.
The bulk of the additional funding — more than $34,000 — would go toward community engagement, including two more public workshops and a community survey.
The rest would cover an official zoning map and a future land use map, which were cut when the original contract was negotiated down from roughly $450,000 to about $327,000.
Planning and Development has since determined it does not have the staffing resources to complete that work internally.
Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle urged the department to include the Home Builders Association, commercial builders, and developers in the upcoming workshops, saying zoning changes can ultimately increase costs for homebuyers.
Adoption hearings are scheduled for Nov. 2 before the Planning Commission and Nov. 17 before the Augusta Commission.
Other items moved to full commission
Several additional items passed out of committee Tuesday without discussion and are set to go before the full Augusta Commission next week.
Augusta’s Housing and Community Development Department received approval to submit its FY2026 Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, representing $3,852,829.39 in federal investment in housing and services for low- and moderate-income residents. The plan is due to HUD by Aug. 16. Approval also authorizes the Mayor to sign all required federal documents to finalize the submission.
Commissioners also approved a change order under RFP 25-242 to purchase an additional 50 light fixtures and accessories for the Charles B. Webster Detention Center in the amount of $54,400.
A request from Sheriff Eugene Brantley to purchase a $47,995 solar-powered mobile surveillance trailer for downtown Augusta also moved forward. The trailer is intended to fill coverage gaps in parking lots, side streets, and areas where permanent cameras are not in place as part of the Downtown Camera Project. The unit is mobile and can be relocated as needed. It includes three PTZ dome cameras, military-grade encryption, and is certified to operate on both Verizon and FirstNet/AT&T networks.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Multiple areas of Columbia County are reporting flash flooding Monday evening with more rain on the way.
Viewer video shows significant water on William Few Parkway near Windmill Plantation Neighborhood Park in Evans.
One resident said the flooding near West Lake Country Club swallowed their yard entirely — “Lost our dog fence to our new river,” they said.
Flooding has also been reported on Fury’s Ferry Road.
A stalled front parked over the region is bringing excess moisture and slow-moving storms, creating an elevated flooding threat — especially in areas already prone to flooding.
Steady rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue throughout the evening.
Drivers are urged to use caution and avoid flooded roadways. Turn around, don’t drown.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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