North Augusta to host public safety headquarter design input meeting

Samantha Winn, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·2 min read

Nov. 11—The city of North Augusta will host a public information meeting about the design of the Public Safety Headquarters next week.

The meeting will be held Nov. 17 in the Palmetto Terrace at the city municipal building at 6 p.m. According to Mayor Briton Williams, the event will be a conversational experience that allows citizens to ask questions and to add suggestions to the design process.

"I think again this whole process has been one that we have been committed to getting public input," Williams said. "...This is the next step that we want to get input on the design side because we do want to try and make it and we want to keep some type of semblance of what it used to look like if we can. This is another example of giving people another opportunity to share their ideas."

The Public Safety headquarters will be located along Georgia and Observatory Avenue, known as the Flythe/Seven Gables property. The site was decided on in an unanimous vote by council on Oct. 4.

Work at the site started in early November to prepare for construction. The public safety headquarters project is listed first on the priority list of projects to be funded by the Capital Project Sales Tax IV. The city allotted $11 million for the project.

According to Williams, the city administrator, contractors from Johnson, Laschober and Associates are likely to be in attendance. Williams said council members are also likely to attend to listen to feedback and that the event will not be live streamed.

"We are going to have tables and we are going to have pictures of the design on the wall," Williams said. "It's going to be an opportunity for people to write and walk around and get little sticky notes and have people stick up ideas, so it's not going to be real formal where people have to stand up in front of a microphone."

Written into the resolution creating the Public Safety headquarters, the city must conduct one or more public sessions about the design.

To read the resolution passed by council on Oct. 4, visit the city website.

Samantha Winn covers the city of North Augusta, with a focus on government and community oriented business. Follow her on Twitter: @samanthamwinn and on Facebook and Instagram: @swinnnews.