A local businesswoman and taxpayer says she has been begging the city for help since 2008 over flooding on her property from a city owned creek, and she is still being told to be patient.
Cherish Danforth, director of Graced Kennel and Grooming, says she has lost her patience and wants the community to know about her struggle with the city.
Danforth operates her dog grooming and kennel business located off of Sibley Road in South Augusta on property that Richmond County court records indicate she is purchasing through a rent-to-own agreement. The business is located on nine acres at 1918 Colony Park Rd., enough land for her business, a parking lot and the home she shares with her husband and two children.
The problem is a creek that flows through the property. The city is responsible for maintaining and drainage related to the creek. Danforth can’t make improvements to the bridge herself because both the city and Corps of Engineers regulate the drainage and bridge. She says both the city and the Corps of Engineers have abandoned her and her family.
“The mayor himself has been out to the property, and still nothing has been done,” she says. “Now, the bridge has collapsed to the point that if we need an ambulance or fire truck out here there is no way for them to access the property.”
A visual inspection the bridge’s asphalt earlier this week shows that the structure has suffered substantial decay and is unsafe for vehicle traffic.
Rather than build a permanent bridge over the creek, the city installed two large plastic pipes, filled them over with rock and gravel, then paved a makeshift road to give her and her customers access to the property. Every time it rains, the gravel beneath the roadway erodes farther, and the pipes begin to clog.
[adrotate banner=”13″]
According to Danforth, back in September 2020, a harsh rainstorm washed away almost the entire bridge, and the city, Danforth says, has refused to give her any relief. The Corps of Engineers conducted a study on the creek and surrounding areas that estimated the cost of previous repairs to be around $75,000. The study concluded there are bigger problems than just the bridge. There are problems all along Rocky Creek.
Now, since last September, Danforth’s customers have had to park in an adjacent parking lot and wait for a staff member to come out and pick up their pets for grooming or boarding because of liability issues related to the bridge. But Danforth worries about what would happen if what is left of the bridge collapses under a staff member or child. Who in the end is liable?
The answer is: the taxpayers are likely liable. While the land surrounding the creek is privately owned, it is situated in a federally regulated wetland. The city is responsible via an easement for drainage and access over the bridge. That may open up the possibility for public liability.
Augusta Commissioner Brandon Garrett says he first found out the gravity of the situation when Danforth reached out to him on social media. Even though the property in question is not in Garrett’s district, he says he got involved because it is his duty to help all the citizens of Augusta. Now, even he is getting frustrated with the city.
“They should have fixed this years ago and certainly responded in September when the road washed away again,” Garrett says. “It should have been (the Engineering Department’s) first priority.”
In an email obtained by The Augusta Press, Director of Engineering Dr. Hameed Malik says the city can begin working on the washed-out bridge in February, at the cost of $325,000.
“We have spent roughly $150,000 so far in maintaining the bridge, which is actually a private driveway,” says Dr. Malik. “But the real problem is not just the bridge, but erosion that occurs upstream.”
The money for repairs is readily available through SPLOST funds and storm water fees, and Garrett says he is determined to see the problem is fixed correctly this time.
[adrotate banner=”23″]
“We just can’t let them spend that kind of money on another patch that will fall the next time a storm comes along,” he says. “This needs to be fixed for good.”
Yet, there is another fact to consider, and that is the overall value of the property versus the amount spent to maintain a bridge that has already been replaced or repaired four times. Now the city has to spend another $325,000 to fix a bridge on property that the county has assessed at $261,957. Further, the property is assessed $38.40 in storm water fees per month.
Normally, the city would simply buy the property and possibly use it as a retention pond, but Danforth says that is not in the cards.
“I am a taxpayer too, and they have the responsibility to help me,” she says. “I wouldn’t sell this property for any amount of money, it means too much to me.”
Danforth says the location is unique and perfect for her business, which works with rescue groups and houses between 20 to 30 rescue dogs at any given time.
“If I had to move, it would destroy my business,” says Danforth. “We are already struggling because of Covid, and now my customers can’t even get to me.” Dr. Malik says he is sensitive to Danforth’s situation, but the heavy rains over the past six months have slowed progress on projects all over the city and especially along Rocky Creek.
Scott Hudson is the Managing Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
[adrotate banner=”41″]
