The Savannah Rapids Pavilion has hosted Chamber of Commerce meetings and has been a popular choice for weddings and other events. Because of damage from Hurricane Helene, many of those events will be postponed for quite a while.
A planned $8 million had been set aside for renovation. Now, that will have to be revisited based on damage to the facility from Hurricane Helene.
Officials in Columbia County have been briefed on the extent of damage done to the 25,000-square-foot Savannah Rapids Pavilion conference center. Sitting high atop an 80-foot bluff overlooking the Augusta Canal, a tree fell through the building, setting off the fire suppression system, which resulted in flooding.
County Manager, Scott Johnson said they decided to bring in ServPro immediately to start recovery work, particularly to prevent mold and mildew.
“That was a big thing. The big, big thing for us was to go ahead and mitigate that,” he explained to ABD. “There was no way, I mean, even if we started the renovation tomorrow, there’s no way we would be able to get ahead of the mold and mildew and just the damage and stuff that was in there.”
Johnson is referring to a planned renovation that predated the storm.
“So, we had a little over $8 million set aside to do a renovation,” he said. “We were going to go in and do some cosmetic repairs, redo the floors, repaint. We needed a new AC system. We needed some new windows because we had some leaks and stuff like that. So really, just going to give it a facelift anyway. So, the money’s already allocated. We hadn’t started design on it yet, but now, obviously, we’re going to have to do a little more than what we originally thought.”
Johnson said ServPro will be removing the sheetrock and taking the walls down to the studs. Once the building is gutted, the county can look at other ways to upgrade the facility.
“We talked about moving power and some other things. So, that’s going to give us an opportunity to really do all those things that we may want to do. We’re just going to have to take it differently. Really look at it a different way,” he said.
People with reservations for events have received cancellation notices and deposits refunded.
One organization that makes extensive use of the conference center is the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. Savannah Rapids Pavilion is a favorite location for Chamber events like the annual Pre-Legislative Breakfast. It is scheduled for Nov. 14, with the new location still to be determined.
“Certainly, it puts a wrinkle in our plans,” Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the Chamber told ABD. “But we’ll find a way. We’ve been talking with other venues to host our events, and I think we’ve got most of them not officially contracts signed, but I think we’ve found most of them a place that we’re pretty close to announcing where they’re going to be.”
Although owned by the City of Augusta, it is operated by Columbia County under a long-term lease. That lease also makes Columbia County responsible for repairs and maintenance.
While most of the attention has been focused on the Pavilion, there are other structures within the park, including a smaller, open-air pavilion and the Lockkeeper’s Cottage, which is used as a Visitor’s Center. Both of those date to the late 1880’s.
“That dance pavilion may have suffered some minor damage, nothing bad at all,” Johnson said. “The Lockkeeper’s Cottage, wow. I mean, what a story there. That thing’s been there since the 1800’s, and no damage. I mean, it’s just stood the test of time.”
Another consideration is the surrounding park and access to the Augusta Canal towpath. The property is closed off at its entrance on Evans to Locks Road.
“We still have trees down all over the towpath and it’s really just not a safe environment. We hope to stabilize the park part of it, and then just block off Savannah Rapids. But for right now, just for everybody’s safety and the ability for our people to do what they need to do, we’re just going to have to close the whole park. We’re trying to get it done as quickly as we can. It’s just going to take time,” Johnson said.
He also cautioned people who like to use the Augusta Canal for recreation, like boating.
“I don’t know that it would be safe just because of the amount of debris that’s out there, the amount of debris in the water,” he cautioned. “I know that we suspended kayak rentals there, but people that have private kayaks, I would say, probably look for an alternative location for now. If you’re out there in a small craft, like a kayak, and you get a good-sized log moving down, it could capsize that.”
Johnson does not have a cost estimate for the repair. He said that in addition to the $8 million set aside for the previously planned renovation, the county has insurance, which means the county will not be able to file a request for reimbursement from FEMA. He said the county will look into whatever grant funds may be available.
“It’s going to be a prolonged process. People are just going to have to be patient. But I think when we do open back up, they’re going to be very proud of the park.”
