“NOT MY JOB.”
“Mine either.”
“Well, it’s certainly not mine!”
This seems to be the common answer when it comes to the subject of who is responsible for keeping Augusta clean.
Opinion
No department director seems to know fully or comprehend the scope of their department’s responsibility or mission statement.
When asked by the Augusta Commission, in the late months of 2022, for an update on mowing and litter pickup, the Engineering Department Director and Stormwater Program Director Hameed Malik presented a nearly 50-page report of what the Stormwater Program was doing. Since all we asked for mowing and litter reports, we will stick to that topic for now.
The commission was told that 100 roads that totaled 158 centerline miles were on a six-time cut a year cycle for a cost of $3.152 million. The report only listed the names of 49 roads.
There are street sweepers that cost the city $600,000 a year to lease and operate. I personally have seen two of them on the streets, but neither of them was sweeping, just driving down the street. It seems that the citizens would want to know when their streets are to be swept so that any vehicle parked on the street could be moved.
There are many state roads that go through Augusta. The state does cut and maintain the interchanges and some shoulder work but not often enough. How is this to be addressed?
Many complaints have been made that the Augusta government spends most of the cleanup resources on Washington Road because of that world famous golf course located there. This complaint needs to be addressed fairly.
From the Calhoun Expressway to the Columbia County line, Berckmans Road and Alexander Drive all are maintained by private identities such as the private homeowners, the Augusta National, strip malls and individual businesses that hire private lawn and landscaping companies to maintain the properties.
The same can be said for Robert C Daniel Jr. Parkway as well as the section of roadway leading into the Augusta Regional Airport.
To help with cleaning the downtown Broad Street corridor a nonprofit group, ACE, helps by picking up litter on a continuing basis, addressing the street receptacles and pressure washing sidewalks. They do this with no charge to the city.
Sadly, the parking pits downtown seldom the receive any attention. Trash, weeds and standing water is the normal, not the exception.
On Sunday mornings, some of the pits should be closed and thoroughly cleaned before traffic begins calling on downtown as the Saturday night crowds leave them in a filthy condition. The pits are littered with empty and shattered alcohol bottles, used needles, broken crack pipes, human waste, as well as used adult sexual products.
Come on Augusta! We can do better than that. Our citizens and visitors certainly deserve better.
This past week Commissioner Al Mason and Mayor Garnett Johnson called for someone to centralize the duties of the departments so that everyone would know their duties and responsibilities.
Of course, this would probably call for someone to be hired at an additional salary of $100,000 and benefits. Don’t forget the auto allowance.
Now, this task would undoubtedly be too much for one person. Therefore, a staff of at least two more would have to be hired adding another $100,000 plus benefits.
Ah, the glory of a growing government with an unlimited supply of taxpayer money.
Here’s a thought: how about the city administrator meets with each department director to go over the mission statement of that department and define clearly the duties and responsibilities. Well, that might be too easy a solution.
Recently, Commissioner Sean Frantom brought before the commission the lack of code enforcement in Augusta. The focus was on the issues and problems concerning the motels and convenience stores along the Washington Road corridor near Interstate 20.
Now, everyone knows that these issues exist in other parts of Augusta and neighborhoods; it’s just that this area has received the most media of late due to the deaths that have occurred at the motels.
In one recent case, a death in a room had gone unnoticed so long that when discovered the body had begun to decompose. No one checks the rooms, so it seems.
The drug trade and prostitution has become a huge problem in these no-tell-motels. The problem is so significant that it is no longer done under the darkness of night but happening all during the day.
The motels and convenience stores do not seem to try to control it in any manner. Numerous reports have been made about this problem. The homeless panhandlers have become very aggressive in some cases. So much so that people have become afraid to stop and do lawful business.
Many homeless live under the I-20 overpass. In warmer weather the stench that comes from under the overpass is nauseating. Trash is discarded, and the area is used as a toilet. A homeless task force has been in existence for over a year with no real remedy forthcoming and the problem seems to be getting worse.
It seems to me there are more questions than answers and solutions. We as citizens, employees and all-around good Augustans need to work to find and demand answers and solutions. Don’t just ignore the problems or throw money at it.
Remember the old litter campaign? Don’t be a litter bug because “every litter bit hurts.”
