Bathrooms, mowing, future plans: what Augusta Parks has accomplished this year
It is finally fall, kids are back in school, and the Augusta park's may be less busy; but there are a number of changes that have been made over the summer.
"The new Henry H. Brigham Community Center is in the middle of construction, and we look forward to opening this brand-new facility in Spring of 2024," wrote Frank Rost, public information assistant for Augusta Parks and Recreation, in an email to the Chronicle. "We are in construction for improvements to Jamestown Park and are putting the last finishing touches to the Diamond Lakes scoring towers."
Rost told the Chronicle that the scoring towers have had issues for four or five years, and work began in mid-2022, but the work is almost done. Once the scoring towers are finished, the temporary restrooms that have been in place at Diamond Lakes will be removed and the public can use the towers again. The towers and bathrooms will be accessible for the 2023 Military World Softball Tournament, which started Tuesday at Diamond Lakes.
The main focus this year, Rost wrote, was in improving the general work flow for staff. This included creating a standardized maintenance schedule for all the parks and staff development. Rost said that the department has particularly focused on mowing parks regularly, with some outsourcing and re-organization of staff.
"Those two measures alone resulted in an improved appearance across our entire park system (68 parks), visible to all our park patrons," Rost wrote, alongside regular removal of graffiti, debris and other items.
Mowing has been a contentious topic in Augusta this summer. Takiyah Douse, interim administrator, presented Augusta Commissioners with a rightsizing plan that included creating a Grounds Maintenance Division to centralize staff and mowing contracts, a move that Parks & Recreation Director Maurice McDowell and other department heads opposed.
More work is being planned. Rost wrote that the Augusta Commission will soon get a look at a new proposed design for Dyess Park, including covered basketball and tennis courts and a new splash pad. A design for Fleming park has already been approved.
Next year Parks and Recreation will begin work on the Julian Smith BBQ Pit, and the department has secured funding for renovations at May Park, including walking trails connecting two cemeteries to the park, and Lumpkin Road Park, which will include a new playground, fitness equipment and water-play features.
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This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Regular maintenance, major projects focus of Augusta parks
