The Drawing Board

[Pillsbury]

I don't know if anyone remembers, but there did used to be a movie theatre on Peach Orchard Rd. In fact TWO of them actually. One by where the OLD post Office used to be, currently where Big Lots is now, and a Drive-in theatre on the corner of Peach Orchard and Phinizy Rd. I wish our drive-in's were still here at least.

[jungletobacco]

I think Augusta belongs to no state, we are our own state call the CSRA. Something like the District of Columbia. But the state seem to be more concerned with making Macon the next big city in Georgia.

Water taxi will be a great for Augusta downtown. It will give Augusta an identity threw out the CSRA. One day people will shop at the LSC then float by the Judicial Center on James Brown Blvd and finally stroll the riverwalk. How much would the ride be?

I'll put this on the drawing board, replace all the Augusta dowtown slums and blight areas with apartments. I'm not talking about upscale, fancy apartments but nice, affordable mid-rise appartments targeting college students.(ASU and Paine) Building up residents is the only way to bring business to downtown and soon as Palmetto Parkway is completed maybe students from USC Aiken will move to Augusta. With the Village in close proximity its not a hard sell.

[jungletobacco]

Sell Daniel Field!!!!!!! Augusta needs the money

[AphroHippi]

Transportation: The CSRA needs a transit system connecting the major points (Aiken, N Augusta, Evans, Martinez, Thomson, Waynesboro with Augusta) Light rail should be a part of the mix (downtown to Martinez, Augusta College, Medical center to downtown).

Major attraction: Augusta is a major medical center, it need to tell that story in a major Museum of Medicine (MOM). Not only will Augusta's medical history be told, but the nation's and the world. Locate this museum in downtown.

Proposals: art movie house on the river or on Broad street, encourage Barnes & Noble or Borders to build a store downtown or on the river.

Get rid of the levee, it separates the beautiful river from the rest of downtown, it's not needed and it's too much of a psychological wall.

Replace the seedy clubs on the lower end of Broad with some major outlet stores (at least 30-50 stores).

Build a tornado museum in downtown (yeah I said a tornado museum-even with a 5 or 6 story simulated tornado exhibit). it should be linked with the weather service and double as a major research center)

Get rid of Daniel Field (as suggested earlier), build a live work play community there, the views from that hill are beautiful!

Build a pedestrian bridge across the Savannah River, make it wide enough to have food vendors along the way. this would psychologically join the N Augusta river park with Augusta's, maybe calling it Central River Park!

While Augusta is Ga's second city, many Georgians are not aware of Augusta's second city status...it's not on the radar like Savannah (history), not relatively close to Atlanta, such as Macon or Columbus, doesn't have the state's largest Univ(Athens) with a college town vibe.

Augusta has a freeway (John C Calhoun) that literally goes nowhere. It would've been more effective as a true crosstown route, connecting to Gordon Hwy and going on to Beech Island. What's unfortunate is both the JCC Expressway and Riverwatch Pkwy were built to accomodate a populace (Columbia cty, west Augusta) that are increasingly distancing themselves from the main city. The main library is too small for a metro area of over half a million. Build a state of the art library. Much of the above has a lot to do with non progressive or short-sighted leadership.

I don't say this to bash Augusta, as I grew up there until I was 18 and moved to Atlanta. Augusta has much potential, but until more progressive leadership come into office, Augusta will continue to fall behind other Ga cities. It'll take more than building an aquarium, zoo or even the above proposals. It'll take leadership that will have to be politically risky, farsighted.

I created some drawings and Augusta proposals from when I was 16 on my site, scroll down to the blue box section and click on "Garden City" and "Garden Center"Augusta Proposals

[Pillsbury]

I like your proposals Aphrohippi!!

[AphroHippi]

I like your proposals Aphrohippi!!

[jungletobacco]

why not expand MCG in Athens? The state need more doctor and UGA can substain the amount of students needed longer thean Augusta. Plus it will force Augusta to bring in something else we can hang our hat on. I have an idea!!!

Maybe Augusta work out something with UGA that will help ASU. UGA is a superior Scool/Campus but I know Augusta is a superior city and I bet the student would rather live in the AUG than Athens. Augusta State needs more students to match the growing campus. Ill get back with yall when i come up with the well do this.

[Pillsbury]

You have a good idea, but I doubt students would rather live in Augusta over Athens---Athens is the college town. Having said that, I think it's a bad move to open any type of med school in Athens. I do, however, think that a med school in s. Georgia (perhaps Valdosta or Albany) would be the right move. The Medical College of Georgia is only utilizing one hospital here in Augusta. With the addition of University and the proposal by the Boardman family to donate a building to MCG, I think Augusta has proven itself once again as being devoted to MCG. We are the medical city---our success hinges on us embracing this as much as possible. I say that as someone who has absolutely no ties to MCG other than my brother went there last year when he broke his foot.

What's been reported by Purdue and others in this Republican-led government is the idea that Augusta is incapable of hosting a larger medical school. Utter hogwash and they know it. Augusta is better situated than any city outside of metro Atlanta to host a large medical school.

[erm1981]

I think a highway from either anderson, sc or greenville, sc would really do well for both areas. I mean a real interstate also!

[socaguy]

That would make it so much easier to get home, rather than driving down 28 or 25 from Greenwood. It could connect right where I-520 will connect with I-20 in North Augusta, making for one continous highway.

[jungletobacco]

GAMBLING........how about some casinos in the garden city. Lets get her done before ATL do. We all know if Atlanta get it first we can forget about it. Where would the city leader put a casino? downtown? along the savannah river? West Augusta? After all the golfing is done people need something to do. People olny spend so much in Augusta....lets be serious. Gambling is addictive so theyll come back. ha ha

[jungletobacco]

the James brown arena should have more act coming it way. Flash is looking in the wrong direction. The act that were hot in his heyday arent hot now. Hip-Hop is the answer! Look at the powerfest, mayfest and any other rap and R&B acts, they can easily draw thousands. Too many old guys are calling the calling the shoots around here.

[Pillsbury]

Maybe, but I've noticed that many hip hop concerts are canceled due to lack of tickets being sold.....of course, maybe they weren't very popular.