After taking a week off, Augusta Commissioners will meet in committee to discuss several ongoing issues, including trouble in the parks and recreation department.
District 10 Commissioner John Clarke said he just learned that the only city employee who is a licensed pool operator, Gerry Simard, resigned on Aug. 20. Clarke’s agenda item calls for the city to go through the bid process and hire a company to maintain the city’s pools.
MORE: Augusta Aquatics Center Faces Continuing Challenges
Richmond County maintains eight public pools and the Charles Evans Splash Pad located on Highland Avenue. Only two of the eight pools are open. The rest are closed for maintenance-related issues, according to signs on the buildings.
On Aug.2 7, the city’s largest pool, the Augusta Aquatics Center, closed down without notice or explanation and has remained closed since.
The city has until Sep. 20 to find a replacement for Simard to remain within state health codes. If a replacement cannot be found in the next 20 days, the remaining pools will, by law, have to be closed.
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Generally, the bidding process for such an independent contract can take up eight weeks, depending on the project. Emergency projects can be pushed through within a couple of weeks.
According to procurement department guidelines, normally the city must issue four public announcements in the county legal organ. However, some of those requirements can be eased if the request for proposals is considered an emergency.
District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith-McKnight and District 8 Commissioner Brandon Garrett want to keep the issue of grass maintenance in the public discussion. City Administrator Odie Donald will update the administrative services committee on progress being taken to ensure proper maintenance of grass on medians and right-of-ways as well as parks and cemeteries.
“There really is no excuse for how rundown our cemeteries look. People have to wade through knee-high grass and dodge ant hills to visit their loved ones’ graves,” McKnight said.
In other commission news, the administrative services committee will also hear a report from Mayor Hardie Davis’ special committee on Confederate monuments. Specifically, the committee has been discussing what to do with the iconic monument that has towered over Broad Street for well over a century.
The committee could advise to leave the monument in its place or to move the structure to a cemetery or another place that is not so prominent in the public view.
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While removing statues and monuments honoring Confederate figures has been a national trend, there has been no public outcry or protests involving the Broad Street monument.
Cigar bars are another hot topic that remains before the commission as the public service committee will receive a proposed amended ordinance that would allow for cigar-smoking to occur inside so-called cigar bars that would sell high-end cigars and with alcohol.
The issue has clouded into a controversy over the government’s role in protecting public health versus the public’s right to make health decisions for themselves.
MORE: Cigar Bars May Be Coming to Augusta
Currently, Augusta’s smoking ordinance does not allow for smoking in any public building or private business. Some commissioners fear that allowing cigar bars to operate will water down the ordinance and create loopholes that allow other businesses to allow smoking on their premises.
Clarke maintains that only people who wish to partake in cigar-smoking would be patrons of such a business.
“We allow for hookah bars already, so I just don’t see the difference,” Clarke said.
Dr. Alice Caldwell of Augusta University will address the committee with concerns from the medical community over amending the ordinance.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.
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