AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Business owners in downtown Augusta shared safety concerns with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.

The sheriff’s office says they’re increasing deputies in the area, specifically at night to keep families safe.

The goal is to collaborate with these business owners.

Sheriff Brantley says having these face-to-face conversations is key when it comes to ensuring safety for those who live, work and visit downtown.

When you’re talking about businesses – homes – apartments – these are places people are proud of .

“At the end of the day, if you take good care of your house and you have a presence in your house, your house will be respected,” said Ernest Jones, CEO, Realty One Group Visionaries.

Many look at downtown Augusta as home.

“And I think that’s what Richmond County authorities are doing, they’re taking and having a presence in the downtown area, so this space will be respected,” said Jones.

Having face-to-face conversations is a start.

“And also to let them know that we want to know when there are concerns of theirs and make sure that we hear them and their concerns are being met with actions,” said Sheriff Brantley.

It’s something many business owners have asked for, going back several years.

“The change already is good with everything else, it just takes time. So really it just. I’m looking forward to how it, when it all comes down and the smoke settles, ‘cause it’s still new. Five months into the year, it’s still all new. A year from now, two years from now, I mean, who’s to tell? Downtown’s gonna be great,” said Adrian Estrada, owner, The Loft.

Safety is the key to making downtown thrive. “Like I said, we still have some things we have to tweak and work on to continue to make downtown safer and make people want to come and enjoy what we have to offer downtown,” said Brantley.

The sheriff’s office downtown safety plan is already in place.

During the day, they have community safety officers out to observe and report any potential issues while assisting business owners with their needs.

At night, the sheriff says they have one deputy per block on foot patrolling, they have a mix of marked and unmarked cars out as well.

However, he says they are prepared to add more staff as needed, especially as summer events start soon.

“We will have a mobile command staff that will be available that deals with large events and event staff,” said Brantley. “It will be a host of traffic crime suppression and different specialized units working in the area to make sure we have enough coverage to be able to deal with any problems that may arise.”

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – State Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II is holding a news conference to highlight what he sees as potential harm to Georgia families and workers caused by freezes and cuts to federal clean energy efficiency funding.

Programs like the Weatherization Assistance Program and Solar for All, which help lower utility bills and support job training, have been frozen or face cuts by the current administration, he says.

The Augusta Democrat says these cuts are putting home energy upgrades, savings and jobs on hold across the CSRA.

Jones and other speakers during the noon news conference Wednesday at the Augusta-Richmond County main library will call on Georgia’s congressional delegation to protect these investments and ensure residents are not left behind as energy costs continue to rise.

In addition to Jones, others appearing at the news conference will include Nicole Lee of Be Smart Home Solutions, Lisa Robinson of the CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority and Paige Brockmeyer, a registered nurse who’s also with the Augusta Chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby.

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