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Commission receives $315,000 emergency procurement for Broad Street communications; Paquin PR to lead outreach
Summary
Augusta commissioners were briefed on an emergency $315,000 sole-source procurement for public relations and communications tied to the Downtown Broad Street improvements project; Paquin Public Relations will provide strategic communications and localized outreach.
Augusta Richmond County staff notified commissioners Oct. 7 they used emergency procurement to secure public relations and community communications services up to $315,000 for the TIA-funded Broad Street improvements project.
The contract, procured on an emergency basis to support construction-phase outreach, will be carried out by Paquin Public Relations under the name Paquin Public Relations; Meghan Paquin introduced herself to the commission as the firm’s founder and CEO. Doctor Lee Malik, an engineering leader on the project, said the city needed an experienced external team to coordinate stakeholder communications while construction continues downtown.
"We are in the heart of the business corridor. This was one of the really pressing demands to have a firm onboard who actually has experience," Malik said. The funding comes from the Broad Street project construction funds that Georgia DOT agreed to provide.
Paquin described a retainer-based approach for message development, website updates and stakeholder outreach alongside a separate creative-services budget for printed materials and media buys. Paquin said much of the program will focus on owned and shared channels — email, website and social — and that larger media buys or higher-cost production would be scoped and costed separately.
Commissioners and staff asked how the scope, costs and procurement steps were handled. The firm said it had reduced its proposed hourly rate as part of a revised scope and that travel and on‑site meeting costs were included in the emergency amount. Procurement staff confirmed the request had been reviewed and validated as a sole-source emergency procurement.
Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Gilfoyle and other commissioners stressed the need to prioritize downtown businesses during construction and to deliver concrete, actionable communication products — such as routing and parking guidance for deliveries and customers — rather than only general updates.
The commission received the item as information on Oct. 7; staff said they would proceed with the work and coordinate continued meetings with downtown stakeholders and the firm.
