Augusta leaders tour parks at risk of funding cuts
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Several parks in Augusta could be on the chopping block.
The city’s parks and rec department recommended ten parks the city should stop investing in to cut back on maintenance costs.
Many of them are small, underused, or in need of some serious repairs. But there are bigger parks on the list like the Augusta Soccer Park and Pendleton King Park.
The idea is to cut city funding for some parks, but organizations continue to run them. Others will be completely let go. Some people aren’t going to let their parks go without a fight.
The parks in question: Hickman, Pendleton King, Alexander, Heard Avenue, Doughty, Augusta Soccer, Meadowbrook, Boykin Road, Bedford Heights, and West Vineland.
They also recommended restoring the Lock and Dam Park and Wood Street Park.
“I’ll tell you what, that was exciting. I had a good time on this tour,” said Catherine Smith McKnight, commissioner for District 3.
A field trip unlike any other.
“Some parks we’re going to get out and walk the grounds,” said Maurice McDowell, parks and rec director said:
Commissioners hopped on a big, blue bus stopping to visit 10 parks. Some are underused, and some aren’t owned by the city at all but receive a small cut of the city’s budget for part of the upkeep.
“If it has a facility a restroom or pavilion adjacent to it, we have to do daily restrooms, cleaning those facilities with trash runs. The biggest thing is cutting the grass and some of them posing challenges based on locations,” he said.
McDowell is ready to close some of the gates and use the money for other parks instead.
“Obviously focus in on some of our regional parks Diamond Lakes, our Riverwalk, our Augusta Common,” he said.
Not everyone was happy to see the big bus stop in their greenspace.
Rodger Bello, concerned resident said: “Even the act of considering closing this park is absurd.”
Sydney Bello, concerned resident said: “I have a dog, and I come to the dog park. I like to walk on the trails here. We have meetings here. It’s just a lovely park.”
Some parks like Doughty and Meadowbrook have suffered from a lack of investment and could cost millions to renovate. Others like Boykin are barely used and just empty.
Dennis Williams, commissioner for District 2 said: “You can look and tell. It was in very, very bad shape.”
This tour was to give commissioners an idea of the work to take care of some of these underused parks. Even though parks and rec’s recommendation is to cut all 10. None of the leaders seemed on board with that idea just yet.
McKnight said: “I saw about four or five parks I didn’t even know existed.”
The decision of which parks to cut won’t be an easy one.
“I would not get rid of all 10, no way. Maybe there might be one or two I’d question,” she said.
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