Route to ruin? Neighbors fight to save Telfair Street trees

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Some of Augusta’s oldest historic trees are in danger of getting the axe in the name of city improvement.

But opponents say the Garden City needs to its roots.

Commissioner Jordan Johnson spoke to community along Telfair Street, where the trees are marked for removal.

It’s part of a road widening project in downtown.

People say they want better communication from the city and developers about what’s going on downtown.

Johnson walked around the area and listened to people’s concerns and listened to what it would mean for people who live down Telfair and rely on the natural shade from those trees.

Johnson wants people to vent their feelings and to bring ideas to best tackle the situation.

Tonya Bonitatibus says her roots will always be in Augusta.

“I’ve lived here 44 years. I grew up in south Augusta. I owned a house in Olde Town for about 10 years when my children were younger,” she said.

She says all the construction is leaving her and other neighbors uprooted.

“We’re losing these big trees. We’re losing the granite sidewalks. We’re losing all of these brick pieces that really were a part of the community,” she said.

Johnson says they’re trying to address the problems that have impacted the area for decades.

Aging infrastructure, leaving roads inaccessible … leading to flooding.

“You see cones, and those columns are a sign of progress, the city’s way of delivering on a promise to invest in infrastructure. It can be messy, but we understand that in that mess, we have to communicate,” Johnson said.

Bonitatibus says she’s more hopeful about the city’s response to hearing from the community.

But she encourages people to keep pushing for the city to continue to take a cautious approach.

" This isn’t something that tomorrow, you can go back and put a bandaid on and be like, oops, we’re just kidding. Let’s put that 100-year-old tree back,” Bonitatibus said.

You can see all the markings going down Telfair through East Boundary.

People are expressing they understand development needs to happen, but they want to make sure Augusta isn’t losing its identity.

A representative for engineering says they hope to revise plans to save as many trees as possible.

The plan to cut down the trees is on pause until Monday’s community meeting with commissioners at 6 p.m. at Heritage Academy.

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