Augusta Commission backs away from planned discussion on Club Rain, Smart Grocery

Augusta commissioners on Tuesday reintroduced discussions about two recent decisions against a local nightclub and convenience store, but no action was taken.

The Augusta Commission on March 5 decided to take disciplinary action against Club Rain on Gordon Highway, which has been the scene of recent shootings. Commissioners put the business on probation for six months and required the business to retain three Richmond County Sheriff's Office special duty officers while in operation.

During the same meeting, commissioners decided not to place the Smart Grocery on Wrightsboro Road on probation for six months, despite reports of increased crime at the business. During the probationary period, the Smart Grocery would have been subject to additional oversight and random checks, according to previous reporting.

Previous reporting: Commissioners place Club Rain on probation. Here's a look at crimes at other Augusta clubs

Club Rain does not serve alcohol, meaning the probationary period only triggered increased monitoring by the city and frequent checks by the sheriff's office.

While the specific reasoning behind bring both decisions back to the table was not discussed, the agenda noted the goal of the discussions surrounding Smart Grocery was to consider probation up to termination.

The agenda noted that District 2 Commissioner Stacy Pulliam requested a motion to rescind the six months probation for Club Rain.

Both agenda items were postponed to the next meeting in two weeks due to the businesses not being provided proper notification, according to the city's legal council.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta commission to reanalyze local night club, convenience store