(This is an article I wrote in the South Augusta Sentinel where Chester Wheeler and Alvin Mason was involved) When you hear the word Goshen Plantation, you normally think of golf courses, country living and upscale houses. When you think of town hall meetings, you think of angry Americans. On Aug. 13, these two came together and it wasn’t a good time for anyone That’s when 300 or more Goshen residents took an opportunity to ask questions and vent their frustrations on politicians, bureaucrats and bankers who planned a public housing development in the Goshen community. The South Augusta Sentinel was there to keep you informed about this important issue. Augusta Housing and Economic Development Department Director Chester Wheeler spent about 30 minutes explaining the process of how Goshen was picked, along with three other areas, to be included in the stimulus grant seeking funds for public housing. Second to speak was Carol Gould, who is with Capitol City Bank and Trust. She told the crowd she was all about family and community, but since the bank had control of the property it could sell it to anyone with the money to buy it. She went on to say the person who bought the land could build 794 homes there instead of the 97 they plan to build with money from the stimulus package — if Goshen residents would go along with the plan. Capitol Bank CEO George Andrews pretty much gave everyone the same sales pitch, reiterating that the bank could sell the property to someone else — someone who wasn’t concerned about Goshen residents’ worries of falling property values, someone who would build the 794 multi family units that the property was zoned for. E.R. Mitchell, a developer from Atlanta, drew most of the questions from residents. One Mitchell about an unusual the part of the grant that would provide private bus transportation to the nearest public transit line for people buying the homes The man asked, what was the price range of the homes? Mitchell said they were priced at $140,000 and up. The resident then asked why buyers who can’t be expected to assume the responsibility of car ownership can be expected to assume the responsibility of owning a home. Mitchell’s reply was that bus transportation was only for people building the homes. He also told residents that under the planed phase one and two, only 97 homes would be built. When asked about phase 3, no answer that pleased angry crowd was ever given. Mayor Copenhaver got up and jokingly said, “I feel like I am at a town hall meeting on health coverage.” The crowd did not respond with laughter, as he seemed to expect. Copenhaver did go on to say that he would take the blame for the public and the commissioners not being informed of the grant application being sent in. He was one who had to sign the application for the city. However, he said it was due to a deadline issue. Commissioner Alvin Mason, when asked if anyone else was willing to face the crowd, got up and, with his customary swagger, adjusted his jacket and implied he was willing to take the heat. He told the crowd that at the end of the day a decision will have to be made. He also said it was an all or nothing deal, and it would be a shame to lose the money for the other three areas if the commission decided to vote against accepting the grant. Later that week, the South Augusta Sentinel requested the full application of the grant. Afterward, it became clear that some pages were missing. In what part the newspaper was given, it plainly states under “Transit Accessibility” something that seemed to contradict Mitchell. It reads, “The Goshen project (1324010902) will work with a local non- profit (Urban Development Corporation) to establish a transit system carrying persons from Goshen Plantation to the South Augusta connector. This will make it possible for the people residing in these developments to live in a high income area while not carrying the extra cost associated with automobile ownership. This will add to the overall affordability of those households and create a greater opportunity to purchase homes in the higher price ranges estimated for this area.” At the Aug. 24 commission meeting, the South Augusta Sentinel asked Wheeler if he understood the residents’ worries about the busing of homeowners, and reminded him of Mitchell’s comment about home and car ownership. Wheeler reiterated that the only bussing would be that of workers doing the building. When asked about the statement regarding the Goshen project (1324010902), Wheeler said that was a mistake made by someone on his staff. “Haven’t you ever made a mistake in your writing?” he asked. The South Augusta Sentinel will continue to ask for more records through the freedom of information act, and inform our readers on any other developments.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Aug 2013 17:32:41 +0000
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