Love and maintenance will have to share the Augusta Canal.
On Tuesday nigh, the Columbia County commissioners voted unanimously to locate a statue that will be used as a new home for “love locks” padlocks at the Savannah Rapids Park. Funds from the Columbia County Convention and Visitors Bureau will pay for the statue. The Augusta Canal Authority plans to move the existing love locks from the railings of the structure that controls flow of water from the Savannah River into the canal onto the new sculpture.
For years, lovers have snapped the locks onto the railings and in some cases thrown the keys into the canal as a way to show their devotion and everlasting love.
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Though each lock isn’t all that heavy, when there are hundreds and hundreds, the railings become weakened, and crews have difficulty maintaining the safety railing. In response, a committee reviewed 13 proposals from artists around the country. The committee agreed on a block and steel sculpture by Phoenix, Ariz. sculptor Daniel Moore that looks like a wavy, undulating fence and will be easy for visitors to attach a love lock.
Commissioners heard from Michael Johnson, 65, a retired wedding photographer from Augusta who had opposed moving the locks to a sculpture next to the canal, but then Tuesday night agreed a sculpture would be nice.
On Tuesday afternoon, Benjamin Bartella and his friend Ken Krucina crossed a foot bridge over the canal lock structure and stopped to look at the love locks. They both had heard about the proposal to move the locks.
“I think it’s a good idea, if there’s not enough space, why not?” Krucina said.
Bartella, while holding the leash of his dog Apollo, said he was supportive, but also said the love locks provide a unique visual experience and make walking the canal a little more enjoyable.
“It’s pretty interesting,” Bartella said. “It’s a pretty neat sight to see down here.”
- An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the Columbia County commissioners voted to fund the statue. The commissioners only voted to locate the sculpture near the canal. The Columbia County Convention and Visitors Bureau will pay for the statue, according to Cassidy Harris, spokeswoman for the county commission.
