Augusta commissioners returned to the topic of divesting underused parks Tuesday but stopped short of deciding which to attempt to sell.
Commissioners also heard the latest recommendations for Special Purpose, Local Option Sales Tax 9 from Administrator Tameka Allen.
The commission, already saddled with approving the 2026 budget by year’s end, will need to finalize the sales tax project list by Jan. 6 to get the tax before voters May 19, she said.
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Park rankings raise eyebrows
An analysis by Augusta Recreation and Parks of the city’s approximately 50 parks using a matrix developed by Infrastructure Systems Management LLC revealed quite a few see limited use.
The city’s model used variables that include classification as a regional or special purpose park, condition, proximity to other parks, size and usage.
Under the criteria, only three parks scored an 88 or higher, despite low scores for their proximity to each other: the Augusta Common, the Riverwalk and the Riverfront Marina.
At the low end, scoring under 20 were many of the city’s neighborhood parks: A.L. Williams, Alexander Barrett, Bedford Heights, Big Oak Park, Doughty, Dyess, Elliott, Heard Avenue, Hillside, Valley Park and the W.T. Johnson Center.
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Commissioners split on cutoff
Commissioner Brandon Garrett suggested a score under 30 should be the cutoff point, while Interim Commissioner Tanya Barnhill-Turnley said the benchmark low should be 20.
Commissioner Jordan Johnson noted that several lower-scoring parks are in the process of receiving upgrades.
These include parks such as Eastview, which just got new playground equipment, Vernon Forrest, which is targeted for upgrades and Dyess Park, which is scheduled for a sweeping overhaul next year.
“When we actually put effort toward building up these parks, people use them,” Johnson said.
Former Commissioner Don Grantham, who visited the commission Tuesday said the commission had considered divesting parks during his time on the panel.
Grantham said the commission should look for ways to continue to serve the public while reducing the expense to taxpayers.
Churches, schools or other locations would “happily take over these parks,” he said.
The commission’s Public Services committee agreed to receive the parks report as information but to revisit it during the next committee cycle.
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SPLOST 9 spending tightens focus
The group gathered for committee meetings went from talk of closing parks to construction projects in a discussion of SPLOST 9.
Most of the items on Allen’s revised list were there when the commission voted in August to postpone the SPLOST referendum until May 19, but a few were increased. They included:
- $14 million for the Boathouse project, bringing the total for the Riverwalk and Boathouse reconstruction to $22 million
- $2.5 million for interest on bonds used to get some of the funds sooner
- $5 million for a juvenile court facility going in the former Craig Houghton school, bringing the project total to $20 million
- $4 million for construction management. Allen said the added expense will benefit the package’s several larger projects, as it did during SPLOST 6.
Richmond County Sheriff Gino Brantley defended the sheriff’s office request, which includes $65 million to expand the county jail and $15 million for jail renovations.
The badly-needed items are “public safety priorities,” and not items on “long-term wish lists,” Brantley said.
The funds still don’t completely cover the additional 300 jail beds Brantley said Richmond County needs, he said. Built to house around 1,070, Webster Detention Center currently averages around 1,350 per day, he said.
The sheriff’s office is using prefabricated structures for the jail expansion to save funds, he said.
Underutilized Augusta Parks Presentation 10-28-25 by Susan McCord
