Augusta Train Depot Grant Could Be Moving On Down The Line

Augusta, GA—It’s been part of downtown Augusta’s landscape since the 1850’s, and many would like to see the old train depot on Reynolds Street be around for decades to come.

“We would like to see it saved it’s on Historic Augusta’s endangered properties list so we think it’s an important part of our history that needs to be preserved,” said Erick Montgomery, Executive Director of Historic Augusta.

Three years agom the depot was awarded a $450,000 state transportation grant to pay for extensive renovations, but it looks like the city will not be putting that grant money to work fixing the depot.

“In order to use that grant money you have to use it on public property and the city is in the process of developing a request for proposals for that property for a private developer to come in,” said Margaret Woodard, Executive Director of the Downtown Development Authority the organization that applied for the grant.

But the Downtown Development Authority does not want to lose the grant, it wants to use it on James Brown Boulevard.

The authority is looking for Georgia Department of Transportation approval to use the grant to re-do the streetscape on James Brown from Telfair Street to Laney-Walker Boulevard, and area that includes the new Judicial Center.

“You see a lot of power lines on James Brown Boulevard we would like to bury those, we would like to do new sidewalks and lights things like that, that is going to be a gateway with the Judicial Center into downtown.

The depot was to be incorporated into the Watermark condo project, but the developer pulled out of that deal in January.

That’s no help for the aging depot but it could help change the look of James Brown Boulevard.

“I think that’s a good idea the streetscape would make it look better,” said Anthony Johnson.

Time is not a friend of old buildings, but the depot’s future is again in limbo as the city looks for another buyer for this downtown property.

“My worry is that it gets torn down or not torn down but it deteriorates more, nothing worse for a building then it to be vacant,” said Montgomery.

The city owns the depot, so it would have a big say in any future deal for the property.

On Tuesday, Augusta Commissioners are scheduled to vote on having the mayor write the Georgia DOT requesting the depot grant money be transferred to the James Brown Boulevard Streetscape Project.