North Augusta lifted a fishing ban at Brick Pond Park’s West Pond. One month of pushback from residents made the difference. The city council voted on Feb. 2 to bring back fishing and some boating after citizens organized against the January restriction.
The ban started in early January. A private citizen wrote to the council about fishing line that put wildlife at risk in the ponds. Mayor Briton Williams said the fishing ban wasn’t an actual suggestion from the citizen committee watching over the park, though council members had been told it was in December before their first vote.
“The whole thing felt like a breakdown of communication,” said Councilman Dennis Briatico, per The Post and Courier. Briatico had supported the ban at first. Only councilmen John Felak and Kevin Toole stood against it from the beginning…