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Commission to review Tee Center expenses

Augusta county commissioners are outraged over a green light that was given to Marriott architects to spend hundreds of thousands of extra dollars on an upgraded ventilation system.

"I think it's high time that this commission get bold enough to stop moving forward on stuff that we are getting the facts after the facts," said Commissioner J.R. Hatney.

The Trade, Exhibit, and Event Center is months from completion but controversy over the upgrade could halt the project.

"I'd rather say I slowed it down a little bit and make the right decision than just rubber stamp something and say 'oh go ahead,' then find out later where a hundred or something thousand dollars go when we could've got this system," said Commissioner Grady Smith.
 
Right now the Tee Center meets the state requirements of having 2.5 air changes per hour; however, according to Marriott International standards, they require their hotels to have 8 air cycles per hour. In Tuesday's meeting, commissioners denied a motion to give the Marriott 800-thousand dollars for the project, saying they could save half of that.

"I'm saying let's save the tax payer dollars. If the state thought that the standards should be higher than 2.5, then the state standard wouldn't be 2.5," said Commissioner Alvin Mason. "If there's a reason for it to go higher than that in the Marriott's mind, then I would highly suggest that the Marriott go ahead and pay for that."