Augusta Regional Airport or Downtown Augusta, which is the smartest investment? (Atlanta: 2015, shop)

[Hot_Mike]

......or just use what we have and turn Phinizy Swamp into some giant swamp park! Thats thinking out of the box.

[Jackrow]

Originally Posted by EastsideDave

I think that there are three things that Augusta needs to really boom:
1. Downtown Revitalization: Improve conditions in inner-city neighborhoods, improve safety, promote business investment, restore existing structures, etc. Hopefully the TEE Center will kick revitalization into high gear.
2. Invest in transportation: Improve Public Transit, possibly expand bus service to Aiken and columbia counties. And improve air travel capabilities. Expand and create a greenway bike trail system throughout the city, and have better pedestrian conditions.
3. Augusta needs it's big tourist draw: the master's only is one week per year, we need something that will bring in thousands of people year round. Columbia has it's zoo, Myrtle beach has the beach, Charleston and Savannah has their historic districts...we need some sort of big tourist attraction. I personally would have loved to seen that Ellis Street canal extension become a reality, this could have been downtown's big draw. Just imagine: Ellis street open to foot traffic only, with a canal going strait thru it, with restaurants, shops, bars, clubs, and apartments all lining it. There could be gondola rides running all throughout the canal area, not only the new parts on Ellis, but all throughout the canal's downtown length. I think this could have been the project to put Augusta on the map. We do all these smallish projects like the Golf and Gardens, but we really need one BIG project and I though the Ellis street canal could have been it, too bad it got shot down before any real studies could have been performed.

I agree with everything that you have pointed out. I remember when comm. cheeks, if memory serves me correct, first came up w/the idea, it was shot down on site as "pie in the sky" With the right amount of public/private interest/investment that could have made downtown Aug an everyday destination for locals and tourist. We lack real leadership and vision in gov, no chess players and thinkers, only checkers! Always back jumping!

[Hot_Mike]

Augusta regional is adding a third airline to the area! Very important and a great start to growing Augusta influence in the southeast.

Third airline to fly into Augusta Regional Airport | Mobile Augusta

[EastsideDave]

Great News! I have a feeling this is going to be a good decade for Augusta and the metro, it's starting out good!

[Hot_Mike]

What can the city do to keep this trend going? A new airline once a year would be a good trend over the next decade.

[nortonguy]

I was just going to post the article. Finally people get to fly to Dallas...

[nortonguy]

Originally Posted by Hot_Mike

What can the city do to keep this trend going? A new airline once a year would be a good trend over the next decade.

Continental Express might returned to Augusta by 2012.

[heckkle]

Southwest needs to come here

[Hot_Mike]

Which airline is that Chicago is the hub? Contenital?

[nortonguy]

AirTran isn't in Augusta yet either......