“When will my house debris be picked up?” That was the one constant question many had while attending the Hurricane Helene storm clean-up update organized by Mayor Garnett Johnson last week.
Most everyone is, or at least should be, aware of the advertised community meetings that are being held. This past week’s meeting was at the Warren Road Community Center and the next meeting will take place at the Diamond Lakes Community Center on Dec. 17 at 6 p.m.
Johnson has been out front and center to answer as many questions as possible, and I am beginning to believe the man has not slept a wink since Sept. 27 when the nightmare began.
The mayor has also made sure that department heads and other elected officials are making themselves available to provide updates, such as Utilities Director Wes Byne, Engineering Director Hameed Malik, City Administrator Tameka Allen, Steve Cassell and city commissioners. Even Fire Chief Antonio Burden has managed to make it out of hiding and answer a few questions.
At this past week’s meeting also at the table were District 3 Commissioner Catherine McKnight and District 7 Commissioner Sean Frantom. Commissioner-elect for District 7, Tina Slendak, was also in attendance.
From looking at the storm damage maps, it seems that District 3 and District 7 were among the worst hit with the most visible damage. So far, a quarter of the debris removed was from District 7, and a third was from District 3. I reside in District 7 and can say for certain that my neighborhood, as well as Montclair and the neighborhoods along Pleasant Home Road, got devastated.
After the storm surge, and as soon as I could cut my way out of my neighborhood, I drove around the city, but it was almost impossible to get very far.
The scene was straight out of a nightmare. Homes were completely destroyed and cars crushed by 100 year-old trees that were split and uprooted. Deaths had occurred while people slept in their beds, unaware, crushed by trees falling through their roofs.
Nearly all were without power, many without water and most without cable or internet. The only communication was by cell phone and for many, that, too, was sketchy. In fact, for many, the only way to charge their cells was by auto lighter. Yet, that came with peril because the gas supply line was totally down due to, you guessed it, no electricity.
It was a wonderful thing to witness neighbors helping each other in whatever manner they could as scores of residents took to the streets, knocking on doors to check on each other.
We all have stories to tell, and I’m sure we will be telling them ’til kingdom come.
Augusta citizens should be thankful for the leadership we have in office with the mayor and city administrator. Both hit the ground running at full speed, and a plan was put into place and contractors hired to start clearing the roads and streets immediately.
ISM was contracted immediately to organize and direct the debris clean up. For those unfamiliar with ISM, the owners and partners are none other than former-City Engineering Director Abie Ladson and former-City Traffic Engineer Steve Cassell.
Cassell and Ladson are quite literally the only two city department heads in recent memory who resigned their jobs with the city at the height of their careers to move on to bigger and better things, as opposed to being tossed out with a golden parachute over scandal or gross ineptitude.
I have watched, and, over time, the amount of tree debris that has been removed is astonishing. According to the mayor, the first phase of the pickup is near the conclusion, and the second run will soon begin. It has taken time and it will take more time.
“Please be patient” is the message, you will be taken care of. Johnson, Allen, Ladson and Cassell have made that clear and I trust them at their word.
You must follow the instructions on how to curb the debris. It will be quicker and easier if you pile correctly. Any question you have can or should be answered on the Augustaga.gov website. If you need more assistance, call your district commissioner.
However, please don’t ask your commissioner to direct a debris truck to your house, they can’t do that. They, too, have to follow the guidelines.
The Augusta Canal Towpath was so severely damaged that it will be closed until May for repairs. They have to drain the canal to repair the banks and there are said to be over 100 trees that fell into the canal.
Lee Powell Drones on YouTube has put up several drone videos of the debris cleanup and he recently posted the flyover of Montclair. The number of rooftops that were damaged is incredible.
Powell also put a drone in the air over Fleming Park. There is footage complete with a hawk threatening an attack on the drone. Maybe we should let the folks in New Jersey dealing with the mysterious UFO drones borrow our hawks.
After the first of the year, the Gang of Five will no longer exist; however, the core group will still be in place, free to obstruct until term limits finally come into play. I suppose that I will have to come up with a new nickname for them. Or, maybe not; a gang is a gang, no matter how many members they claim.
Both commissioners Sean Frantom and Bobby Williams will be leaving. I personally will miss both of them, but for different reasons. Both have been the fodder for stories and quotes over the years, some good and some, especially with Williams, as outrageous as all get-out.
I look forward to seeing what newly elected Commissioners Tina Slendak and Don Clark bring to the table. Slendak has been a government watcher and follower for most of her life. I do know she is a doer and says what she means and means what she says. Clark has a stellar background. He has a military background, as well as a full resume of business and government involvement. I have a good feeling about them both.
Someone asked me who the three city department directors that I referenced would be gone soon after the first of the year when things have settled a bit. Well, I didn’t tell that person. I have the three names written on a piece of paper with the date, in a sealed envelope in a mayonnaise jar buried in my backyard.
Just like with the storm debris, we have to be patient. Changes are coming for the Clown Castle.
People that know me well know that I watch different news programs and feeds from all over the place. In order to know what all sides are talking about and thinking. To paraphrase radio icon Austin Rhodes, in order to know what the other side is thinking, you have to watch and listen to the other side, and how right he is.
Call me a nerd, but I go as far as to watch government meetings from other cities. If you think some of Augusta’s elected officials are just a bit crooked, you should watch some other cities. I also watch local news broadcasts from cities such as Miami, Tampa, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit, Dallas-Ft Worth, Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago.
Some of these cities are failing their citizens.
The reality of watching these is that one news report will say one thing, but turn the channel, and you get the same topic with a totally different slant. It all depends on what political party holds sway over the local media.
To be totally blunt, if you depend on one particular source to tell you what to think, you are a fool. If you depend on a musician, singer, movie star, athlete or a social media influencer to tell you what to think, you are even a bigger fool.
Do your own research. Watch different news sources. Watch the Senate and Congress meetings on C-Span and you may be amazed at what you can and will learn. Some of you do that now, you just won’t admit it for fear of being ridiculed.
Folks, as always, you just can’t make this stuff up.
