SPLOST for Public Buildings

Augusta has worked to use SPLOST funds to support the increased demands of the citizens for facilities that are convenient to use, easy to navigate, and modern in form and function. The investment in public buildings is expected to pay dividends for the citizens in the long term by providing locations where citizens can go to participate in the local government process through a variety of activities like attending meetings, voting, serving on committees, serving on juries, paying fees or taxes in return for services, or simply storing, researching, and viewing public documents.
To see Projects that are part of the November 3, 2015 SPLOST referendum, click here!
Augusta-Richmond County Judicial Center and John H. Ruffin, Jr. Courthouse
Project Status: Completed in 2011
SPLOST V Project Cost: $39,941,729
This facility provides housing for courtrooms and judicial offices for State Court, Superior Court, and Civil & Magistrate Court. Additionally, the District Attorney's Office, the Solicitor General, the Clerk of Court, and the Clerk of Civil & Magistrate Court, the Law Library, the Jury Clerk, and the Probate Court are all located in this facility.

Augusta-Richmond County Judicial Center
Judicial Center
Augusta-Richmond County Municipal Building
Project Status: In Progress
SPLOST VI Project Cost: Budgeted for $18,000,000
The Municipal Building Renovations and Modernization Project is an ambitious initiative that will change the face of the 60-year old Municipal Building. The project includes the new Linda Beazley Community Room, named for the former Executive Director of the Richmond County Board of Elections. The renovations to the existing building include a total renovation of all nine floors (approx. 125,946 square feet).

Muni Bldg Entrance
Georgia Regents University Dental School
Project Status: Completed
The Dental School was not a city SPLOST project; however, $10,000,000 of SPLOST funds were allocated by the Augusta Commission to facilitate the acquisition of land (the former Gilbert Manor property) on which the Dental School was built.

Photograph courtesy of Georgia Regents University.
MCG Dental School 2014 640
Augusta-Richmond County Public Library (Main Branch)
Project Status:  Completed
Project Cost: $14,700,000 (from SPLOST V).  Overall project was $24 million from various sources).
The 95,000 square-foot facility at 823 Telfair Street opened in 2010.  This building replaced an older structure located across 9th Street, built in the 1950s, which faced Greene Street.


Library1.jpg
Webster Detention Center
Project Status: Completed
Project Cost: Approximately $46 million from SPLOST V and VI.
The Webster Detention Center is a modern facility capable of housing over 1,000 inmates in a secure, controlled environment. The expansion of the facility through SPLOST permitted the city to close the prisoner housing at the Joint Law Enforcement Center located at 401 Walton Way. Two phases of SPLOST-funded additions and renovations have been completed at the Webster Detention Center. Phase I added approximately 118,251 sq ft of additional space and 5,085 sq ft of renovated space, as well as 476 beds. Phase II added 33,344 sq ft of additional space and 14,900 sq ft of renovated space, as well as 38 beds were added.
Webster Detention Center 1
Sheriff's Office Administration Building
Project Status: Completed
SPLOST VI Project Cost: $9 million
This building houses the administrative offices of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, as well as the Criminal Investigation Division, the Civil Division, Records Division, and Crime Scene Unit. The structure was completed in 2012, and features 35,000 square feet of space. This building replaced offices in the old Joint Law Enforcement Center (JLEC) that were plagued with mold, flooding, and leaks.
Sheriffs Office 2
Augusta Convention Center
Project Status: Completed
SPLOST V Project Cost: $20,000,000
Opening in 2013, the Augusta Convention Center was intended to provide a location downtown for events, meetings, and conferences. The building features a 38,000 square-foot meeting hall, and is located adjacent to hotels, restaurants, and the Savannah River.

ConventionCenter1