Augusta, GA

Ground could break soon for Augusta’s first tiny home community

Published

2 years ago

June 6, 2024

Press Room

Ground could break soon for Augusta’s first tiny home community

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The community of tiny homes is continuing to push forward.

Augusta leaders approved the project a couple of months ago, and we could soon see shovels in the ground this year.

“They wanted to bring people in and activate the space. For them, that meant creating functions where people could gather,” said Joy Newberry with McMillan Pazdan Smith.

Bridge Builder Communities is working with McMillan Pazdan Smith to plan and design a tiny home village on Merry Street.

Jackson Drumgoole, Executive Director of Bridge Builder Communities, said: “There are 11,000 young adults in the child protective services in the state of Georgia with hundreds aging out year after year. We want to make sure that these young adults are able to transition successfully into adulthood and move into independence.”

The faces behind the ideas of what this project should look like are from 13 McMillan Pazdan Smith interns located at different studios they have in the southeast.

“It wasn’t just about design,” said Kamand Taherkhani, intern with McMillan Pazdan Smith. “It was truly meaningful and I’m just glad to be a small part of this project.”

Last summer interns focused on the design of tiny homes. Now they’re working on what the community building will look like.

“This community building that we specifically worked on drew in the residents of this place and made it feel like it’s your back porch and that you’re gathering and creating that quality time with your neighbor and your people,” said Caylin Breakfield, intern with McMillan Pazdan Smith.

Newberry is a foster parent herself and says getting the interns involved really makes a difference because they’re helping people the same age as them.

“They were able to come in and say what are the services that I would need,” said Newberry. “What would I like to see if I were experiencing this at some time in my life and bring in an insight we might be missing.”

The goal now is to choose the best ideas from all of the interns and create an updated plan for community building.

They hope to have the tiny homes completed next summer.

To learn more or to donate, visit Bridge Builder Communities’ website.

Source link

Augusta, GA

Augusta government provides update on HCD audit

Published

2 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Augusta government provides update on HCD audit

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta officials say a preliminary response related to an audit of the Housing and Community Development Department was received Tuesday from Cherry Bekaert.

The audit report is not yet complete, according to the city.

After initial review, the city has requested additional information to “ensure clarity and accuracy before the process moves forward.”

“The Augusta government remains committed to transparency and will provide further updates once the requested information is received and the audit is finalized,” the city said in the news release.

In November, Augusta Commission members held a budget workshop session with much discussion about the Housing and Community Development Department.

That’s the department that left the city on the hook to pay back millions in federal grant money.

The city received more than $6 million in grant money during the COVID-19 pandemic, supposedly to help people who were in danger of eviction.

The city never spent the money for that purpose, so the government demanded it back.

The department didn’t have the money on hand, so the city had to repay it, and then some, from the general fund — $6.3 million of the original grant money and $2.1 million in penalties.

The scandal led to the exit of Housing and Community Director Hawthorne Welcher and sparked an audit of the department.

On Oct. 28, commissioners in closed executive session approved the payment of up to $32,237.32 from contingency funds for rental assistance previously approved by the Housing and Community Development Department.

This means leaders agreed to take the money from their emergency fund and use it to help people with their rent as part of a program the department had already put in place.

Mayor Garnett Johnson said at the time this was an effort to address letters that were sent out, falsely leading people to believe they were getting some emergency funds.

Source link

Augusta, GA

Get medical care at several health events in Augusta

Published

14 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Get medical care at several health events in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Several health events in Augusta on Tuesday are offering help to those who need medical care.

Department of Public Health mobile clinic

The Department of Public Health mobile clinic will be at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Tuesday.

Officials say the clinic makes it easier to receive care for those who don’t have transportation.

The clinic will be at the 3109 Wrightsboro Road from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

You can receive sports, work and school physicals, diabetes management, WIC referrals, vaccines and more.

The mobile clinic offers private exam rooms, wheelchair-accessible lifts and modern medical equipment.

For more information on the mobile clinic and what stops it will take, visit www.ecphd.com/wego.

Annual Horizon Truckers Clinic

The fourth annual health fair for bus and shuttle driver employees with Horizon Motor Coach will be held on Tuesday at Julian Smith Casino, 2200 Broad Street.

This event will start at 11 a.m.

In partnership with the Augusta Lions Club, the Augusta University’s College of Nursing, Georgia Prevention Institute, College of Allied Health Sciences, the Dental College of Georgia and the Georgia Cancer Center make the event possible.

The health fair is designed to help prevent and identify health issues as well as providing mock DOT exams, dental examinations and nutrition advice.

Source link