Residents speak on possible park closures in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Twelve Augusta parks could be on the chopping block, including Pendleton King Park in District 2.
Community say that park is valuable to the area, and they don’t want to see it closed. In March, Augusta commissioners started discussing closing some parks across the city.
The parks in question: Hickman, Pendleton King, Alexander, Heard Avenue, Doughty, West Augusta Soccer, Meadowbrook, Boykin Road, Bedford Heights, West Vineland, Lock and Dam, and Wood Street.
No official decision or plan has been made to close any on the list, but they have started the conversation.
“It’s been here for the community for 60 plus years, and to close it and take it away, it would be a terrible travesty,” said Billy Franke, lifelong er of Pendleton King Park.
Franke’s father was one of the original developers of Pendleton King Park, and he spent most of his life visiting and caring for it.
He says he hopes it stays open because of the positive impact on children in the community.
“A lot of children may have broken homes or situations going on in their family, and this gives them an opportunity to come to a place for free where they can enjoy nature, enjoy being outside, run around,” he said.
And Commissioner Dennis Williams agrees.
“It’s really a diamond for our community to have a facility like this,” he said.
In 2019, the city budget shows they spent $7,550 on Pendleton King Park. They are budgeting $10,000 for 2022. The city’s overall budget is nearly a billion dollars for 2022.
The park is owned and maintained by the Pendleton King Park Foundation, but a facility with 64 acres can be costly to operate.
“We have to look at the operational cost and see how it really affects the overall budget,” said Williams. “It’s only a recommendation. There has been no determination made, nor a vote on which facilities to close in which communities.”
He says the key to keeping it open is ing the foundation that works to maintain it.
“It’s a beautiful facility, and we just have to figure out what needs to be done. We as citizens have to do our part to make sure it’s done,” said Williams.
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