AUGUSTA, Ga. – The city of Augusta may soon be saying goodbye to several of its parks, a decision that some local officials believe is long overdue.
“The reality is clear; these parks just aren’t being used,” remarked Commissioner Catherine Smith Rice. “In my view, we either need to close them down or consider selling them.”
Recently, a parks consultant for the city shared a comprehensive analysis based on three months of research into the activity levels at local parks.
The findings indicate that over 20 parks are significantly underutilized, suggesting that the city explore alternative uses for these spaces. One proposed idea involves leasing the parks to local neighborhood associations.
“Another option could be selling the parks,” suggested Abie Ladson, a consultant with ISM. “While I’m not completely sure of the current maintenance costs, that’s definitely something we should investigate.”
With the city grappling with a substantial budget deficit, reducing expenses has become a pressing concern. However, the idea of closing parks is often met with resistance from the public.
“We’re going to deal with that but we also have to deal with the fact of what makes sense, what’s the best use of dollars, what’s the best use of making sure that it’s maintained,” said Commissioner Don Clark.
A commission committee did approve a path forward, have the consultants come back with a report on what will the savings would be if the underused parks are closed.
“For us to take a deep dive, we’ll probably close some, but what will close? I don’t know,” said Commissioner Francine Scott.
The data is in place on which parks are underused, but commissioners want more info on whether closing one or more is worth it.
