Augusta commissioners got an earful about right-of-way maintenance, codes enforcement and grass cutting at a Wednesday workshop but no real solutions.
The city Engineering department, the Richmond County Marshal’s Office, Augusta Parks and Recreation and Richmond County Correctional Institution each play roles in the effort, as do entities such as Augusta Georgia Land Bank Authority which own and are expected to maintain vacant properties.
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One program is “Sweat with a Vet,” sponsored by the marshal’s office and Veterans for Clean Water, which helps seniors and the disabled with keeping their yards cut, said Shawn Hargis-Rhodes, codes enforcement coordinator for the marshal’s office.
Codes Enforcement struggles to get owners of properties that defer basic maintenance for years to get in compliance, she said.
For instance, at one Walton Way house, seen above in the 2600 block, the owner has resisted efforts and locked a gate to prevent inspections, but is finally making headway, Rhodes said.
Evan Joseph, warden at RCCI, said the work camp has 24 details under contract for the Georgia Department of Transportation, Richmond County Board of Education, Central Services and Augusta Canal Authority.
Charles Jackson, Augusta deputy administrator who is also serving as interim recreation director, said Recreation has two contractors and 11 full-time employees who service parks and city recreation facilities and cemeteries.
Jackson said the department could benefit from a specialized team to handle requests related to special events.
Augusta Engineering now handles all right-of-way maintenance. Engineering and Environmental Services Director Hameed Malik said its work is complicated by the number of city rights-of-way.
The Turpin Hill area, for instance, includes numerous alleys created as service drives for the “milk man” and other providers.
Malik said the city should consider abandoning the alleys to avoid having to maintain them.
Countywide, establishing a crew to keep ditches maintained will cost $2.3 million, Malilk said.
Augusta Fire Department uses an RCCI crew and has a staffer to perform additional maintenance, said Lerone Beasley, deputy chief of technical services for the fire department.
Another tool the city has is the so-called “blight tax,” charged property owners who don’t maintain vacant properties. The seven-mill tax is limited by staff’s ability to serve and prosecute out-of-town property owners, city Senior Staff Attorney Sam Meller said.
Right now based on 311 data more than 300 vacant properties await inspection and there are over 1,000 open orders for grass cutting, Interim Administrator Takiyah Douse said.
