Local officials said several city projects could be finished months or possibly years ahead of schedule if the state approves their $30 million capital improvement request.
The one-time allocation would keep ongoing developments, such as the Augusta Commons downtown park and the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, from having to pause between construction phases to raise additional money.
It also means drawing-board projects, such as the Merry Ponds rowing regatta venue, would have much-needed start-up capital to leverage funds from other sources.
And lesser-known projects that may have never come to fruition, such as the proposed Lock & Dam Recreation Area and replacement of Paine College's gymnasium, would be more likely to materialize.
``Some of these projects, I believe, would not be feasible without state help,'' said Charles DeVaney, executive vice president of Augusta Tomorrow, the semiprivate revitalization group that pitched the economic development package to Gov. Roy Barnes on Wednesday.
The funding, if approved by the legislature, would pay for about one-third of the nine projects' total $94.5 million cost.
The rest of the tab would be paid with private contributions and local and federal government dollars.
Officials anticipate the nine developments will boost economic development, new jobs and tourism.
Augusta's funding request is similar to economic development packages doled out to Columbus and Albany during former Gov. Zell Miller's term.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Walker, D-Augusta, approached local community and business leaders in early 1998 to start work on their own package.
Mr. Walker's relationship with the then-gubernatorial candidate proved beneficial in getting Mr. Barnes on board.
He helped Mr. Barnes take in more than $300,000 in Richmond County contributions.
As the top-ranking black lawmaker in the General Assembly, Mr. Walker's support and advice also brought Mr. Barnes added credibility in the black community.
On election day, Mr. Barnes carried Richmond County by a sizable margin.
After the governor's mid-year budget address in January -- before Mr. Barnes had even taken office -- Mr. Walker and Sen. Don Cheeks, D-Augusta, could be seen outside the Appropriations Committee chamber talking about the big-funding deal.
Another sign that something big was coming Augusta's way was the fact that the city didn't seek many big-ticket items in the mid-year budget.
Mr. Walker, Mr. Cheeks, House Speaker Pro Tem Jack Connell, D-Augusta, and the rest of the Augusta delegation settled for less-costly goodies, like $1.5 million for the Fort Discovery interactive science museum.
In the meantime, Mr. Walker was laying the groundwork for the city economic development plan in discussions with Mr. Barnes.
If everything works out, the funding will start being put into either the mid-year 2000 budget or the fiscal 2001 spending plan when legislators meet again in January.
``(Mr. Barnes) was knowledgeable of these projects before we even walked in the door,'' Metro Augusta Chamber of Commerce President Jim West said.
The timetable for completing the nine projects is two to three years.
These are the projects and the impact state money has on them:
GEORGIA GOLF HALL OF FAME: The $30 million downtown project, which has already raised and spent more than $14 million for land acquisition and preliminary construction through state, local and private sources, is asking for an additional $5 million.
That money, plus $5 million raised by Fore! Augusta, means backers only need to raise $6 million statewide to finish the project. Fore! Augusta Chairman Paul Simon said state money would allow work at the site to continue during the last leg of fund raising.
``It will help us raise the balance of the money we need and will give us the cash needed to go on with the next phase, assuming we get the pledges,'' he said.
AUGUSTA COMMONS: The proposed greenbelt linking Broad Street to Reynolds Street could be constructed in continuous phases if its $3 million is granted. Otherwise, the $15 million project would have to put work on hold while it raised the money on its own.
The project so far has $12 million in city and private contributions. Construction is set to begin when the Richmond County Health Department, the future site of the greenbelt, relocates to Laney-Walker Boulevard in 12 to 15 months.
MERRY PONDS ROWING REGATTA VENUE: The $4 million request is needed to kick-start this controversial proposal, which plans to transform portions of the Merry Brickyard ponds located near Laney-Walker Boulevard into a national rowing venue.
The scenic site is adjacent to a wildlife management area. The $10.5 million project would require an additional $5 million in local funds, $1 million in federal grants and other funding, and $500,000 in private contributions.
LANEY-WALKER REDEVELOPMENT AREA: This area, once Augusta's black commercial district, would have to rely solely on city money and federal Community Development Block Grant allocations to fund redevelopment efforts such as streetscaping and housing rehabilitation.
With state money, the neighborhood could be turned around much sooner, said Mayor Pro Tem Lee Beard, a Laney-Walker Redevelopment Authority member.
PAINE COLLEGE: The private college's proposal for a new gymnasium and health sciences building could languish for years if the $3.5 million in state money is denied. Grants and private contributions would have to fund the rest of the $8 million project.
SPRINGFIELD VILLAGE PARK: Like the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, this $6 million attraction would face gaps between construction phases and increased costs associated with borrowing if state money is not approved.
Springfield Village, a park celebrating black heritage adjacent to historic Springfield Baptist Church, is asking for $3 million to add to its $500,000 in private contributions and $500,000 in city money.
The large state commitment could bolster Springfield backers' attempts to raise the remaining $2 million needed to finish the project.
GATEWAYS AND CORRIDORS: More attractive entrances were identified as a need in a countywide study by revitalization group Greater Augusta Progress. However, without the $2 million in state funding, cash-strapped local officials would be hard pressed to commit funds to beautify the 10 corridors.
The multiyear endeavor would begin this fall if federal funding for a $120,000 study of Gordon Highway and Peach Orchard Road, the demonstration project, is approved.
LOCK & DAM RECREATION AREA: A $10 million community center/pavilion similar to Columbia County's Savannah Rapids Pavilion is planned at the 52-acre, city-managed New Savannah Bluff Park. Officials say it may never materialize without $2.5 million from the state.
SOUTH AUGUSTA COMPLEX: The city needs $2.5 million from the state to finish this project, a comprehensive recreation area on Lumpkin Road that will serve as a venue for the 1999 Georgia Games and future invitational sporting events.
The facility is already under construction, but a plan to revitalize the surrounding neighborhood would take much longer without state help, officials said.
Damon Cline can be reached at (706) 823-3486.
