North Augusta to break ground on new public safety HQ by December, contractor hired

Miguel Legoas, Augusta Chronicle
·2 min read
Designs for North Augusta's new public safety headquarters.
Designs for North Augusta's new public safety headquarters.

After years spent planning and preparing for its new public safety headquarters, North Augusta is expected to break ground in a couple of months.

After getting approval from the city council Monday to hire Hood Construction to run the project, City Administrator Jim Clifford said they are on track to break ground by December, though an exact date has not been released. Once complete, the facility will serve several public safety functions such as a base-of-operations for police, a 911 call center, and a court house.

The facility will stretch across 1208 and 1220 Georgia Avenue. It takes the place of the Seven Gables Motel, which was demolished earlier this year to make space. The property was also home to the historic Seven Gables hunting lodge, which first opened in 1903 and served multiple purposes until it burned down in 2008.

History in Ruins: A Timeline of the Historic Seven Gables

The Seven Gables in North Augusta, Sc., was originally built as a hunting lodge in 1903 and had several different owners and functions over the years until it was destroyed in a fire in 2008.
The Seven Gables in North Augusta, Sc., was originally built as a hunting lodge in 1903 and had several different owners and functions over the years until it was destroyed in a fire in 2008.

Hood is expected to provide updated renderings for the project in the near future and an exact price and time-to-completion. When the city council was considering the Georgia Avenue property last year, they were looking at a range of $12.6-14.3 million.

Clifford explained that the firm has been hired as a general contractor at risk, meaning the city can receive a guaranteed maximum price for the project and the firm will work with city in hiring sub-contractors. Hood was hired for a fee of 2.95% and general conditions totaling $588,000, which will be funded by the Capital Project Sales Tax IV.

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The city administrator said Hood was chosen because of its portfolio featuring the Mabry Cancer Center in Orangeburg, multiple University of South Carolina facilities, and the City of Sumter's public safety complex which was a significant inspiration for the design of North Augusta's HQ. Clifford further commented that the city municipalities governing these projects gave Hood "excellent references."

City Council Members Kevin Toole and Jennifer McCauley said, in the absence of a local contractor, they hope Hood will hire area subcontractors to help with the project. Clifford reassured them the firm already has some area subcontractors in mind and will be planning an open house to hire more.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: North Augusta public safety HQ groundbreaking in December approved