The old court building and the old synagogue have been around a long time, and the city administrator believes the money could be found to keep them both around for longer.
“We have made it clear it is available if the commission wanted to make that choice,” says City Administrator Janice Jackson.
The choice facing city leader is a matter of money to demolish only a portion of the old courthouse instead of the entire building increase costs by 200 thousand dollars.
“We have a lot of trouble from citizens fussing about raising taxes but yet we want to maintain all these historical buildings that are going to cost an arm and leg,” says Commissioner Dennis Williams.
The original recommendation from the administrator was to demolish both buildings but city leaders see saving at least one.
“We’ve come a long ways to compromise on saving the synagogue and everybody agreed to, says Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle.
There is a plan for the synagogue, Jack Steinberg is out raising the money to create an Augusta Jewish History Museum but Augusta leaders want more than just talk.
“He understands we’ll be asking him to maintain the building during the time period before he’s able to get any museum project up running we estimate the cost to be in the ten thousand dollar time frame for that,” says Jackson.
So commissioners consider a historical compromise the order for the court; demolish.
But saving the old synagogue in order to save money.
