AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Here it comes. On city right of ways and in city parks, the grass is back, as the public waits to watch the city’s efforts to cut it back.
“In the last year or so, they have not been very good at it. in the past, they have, but it’s gone downhill,” said Patty Hood. On Wednesday, commissioners are scheduled to hear from the Administrator about the implementation plan for a new landscape maintenance department, which combines all four current departments that cut grass into a new single department with a new director.“The problem is there we so many different departments that did the same thing. It’s a duplication of services, redundant, and it’s time, in order to get efficient, you have to have one call to one department,” said Wayne Guilfoyle, Augusta Mayor Pro-Tem.Keeping Augusta properly maintained is an issue for the city, but Commissioner Lonnie Wimberly has concerns that the solution may be another problem.He writes the city needs to be careful that “we do not unintentionally weaken the performance of those departments.”
Supporters of the new department expect some bumps in the road.“I know it’s going to have hiccups along the way. Anybody that opens up a business will have issues coming along,” said Guilfoyle.But does the public has worry that those bumps will make things worse?“Hopefully, it won’t. It will make it better, hopefully. The way I’m seeing it, it should make it better,” said Derrick Bolton.That’s the what city leaders want to see – better maintenance of this growing problem…