'Pieces fit together': New director of Augusta Canal talks about continuing a legacy
After steering the helm of the Augusta Canal for 25 years, Dayton Sherrouse announced his retirement earlier this year. Augusta native Tyler V. Snead stepped in as executive director.
Snead recently took some time to reflect on his first two months in his new role.
“It's been a crazy two and a half months,” said 31-year-old-Snead. “But I've learned a lot. And I’m looking forward to learning more as I continue to grow in this position.”
Snead said his mix of education and work experience worked in his favor when he made the decision to apply for the position.
“I earned my bachelor's degree from Augusta University in political science,” he said. “I spent time in sales before going back to get my master's degree in public administration. While working on my master's degree, I spent time in Washington, D.C., working for the late Sen. Johnny Isakson and Congressman Rick Allen.
“The combination of political science, public administration education coupled with experience in the construction side of historic preservation, plus my love of the canal and all things outdoors made this job a perfect fit.”
Augusta Canal director Tyler V. Snead answered the following questions
Question: What inspired you to apply for the position?
Answer: I care so much about the canal. I was born and raised in Augusta. Growing up, my brothers and I were always outside. Whether we were mountain biking, kayaking, or just getting into trouble in general, the canal has always been our playground.
When this job came up, I read the description and it matched my background almost perfectly. I said to myself, I can either sit back and hope somebody that gets this job is going to carry on like Mr. Dayton or I could throw my hat in the arena and take care of it myself.
More: Augusta has bought the historic Weed School. So what happens next? Here's what to know
Question: What has been your favorite part about working for the Augusta canal?
Answer: The community feedback. I've had so many people reach out to me just saying they're glad that I got the job. And how excited everybody is to see the next phase of the canal moving forward. Growing up in Augusta, a lot of people remember the times when the canal was overlooked. In some sense it became a landfill. When my predecessor, Dayton, stepped up, he really transformed it into a tourist attraction and a recreation amenity. I think people are ready to see what the next chapter of the story will look like.
Question: What would you say has been your biggest challenge so far?
Answer: My biggest challenge is just trying to catch up on 30 years of progress that was made and trying to figure out how all these pieces fit together.
Question: Any new near future plans or events that you have in the back of your mind that you're wanting to see come to fruition?
Answer: One of the big events that we have coming up will be on April 20 called Canal Discovery Day. That's a free event that we put on every year. We'll have vendors there, food trucks, music. It's just a really good afternoon. It’s a great way to come out and learn about the Augusta Canal.
On top of that, you know, we're working on expanding the trail system. There have been rumblings of a whitewater park that is starting to get some legs behind it. We've got a lot of plans moving forward.
Question: If you could go back in time and give your younger self any piece of advice, what would that advice be?
Answer: I always struggle with this because I believe that the mistakes you make along the way are what help shape you. But I would just tell my younger self to stay engaged with the community. You never know what your connections are going to do for you. And whatever you do, work hard and try to be the best at it.
The Augusta Canal Discovery Center, a partner of the National Park Service and a member of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas is located at 1450 Greene St.
For more information, visit https://augustacanal.com/ or call 706-823-0440
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Funding Partners.
Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@gannett.com or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: New director steps in at Augusta Canal, National Heritage Area
