Augusta, GA
14 months later, upgrades still not started at Augusta park
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta’s Dyess Park is in desperate need of improvements – and city leaders agree.
In November of 2023, $6.5 million in sales tax money was set aside to revitalize the park.
The funds have been sitting on a shelf since then, and in the meantime, neighbors are paying the price.
While the city debates what to do with the community center, people who could be using this park are still stuck waiting.
At Dyess Park, playtime never stops.
“This should be their safe space,” said Mia Tate, Augusta resident, and parent.
It’s proof that joy can thrive in a place where promises fade.
“Can you be patient? You gotta be patient,” Tate said to her child.
Patience – something neighbors around Dyess Park are losing.
“I thought we did all the talking that we were going to do,” said Stanley Hawes, who lives near Dyess Park. ”All the talking over with, it’s time for action, that’s all.”
Standing in the way of progress is the locked community center.
“Literally and figuratively speaking, I weep,” said Hawes. “I weep because there are kids in my neighborhood that don’t have a chance.”
A historic building turned into an eyesore
“We can’t build communities with an empty building right there,” said Hawes.
For nearly 20 years, Hawes has lived next to the park.
“Some people got places to go, they can take their kids to the YMCA or whatever,” said Hawes. “Some of us here can’t do that, some of them got just what’s dealt to them.”
There is a playground, but other than that–
“Empty swimming pool,” said Hawes. “They have caught kids over there playing in a dangerous area because they had nothing else to do.”
It’s leaving some parents asking for change.
“If they have things that they’re able to exert their energy on versus what we will quote unquote say negative things, then we’ll see more impact on them having healthy and positive expressions on their faces and exerting of their energy there,” said Tate.
In return, they are hopeful a positive impact on the community could come about.
“If the government wants to help and the community takes it, take their part,” said Tate. “I think it would make a big impact and see everything flourish and go in the direction that everybody wants it to go.”
Commissioners say the talks about improving Dyess Park go back to 2004 and as you can see. some neighbors are tired of waiting.
“Hopefully they will decide to go ahead on and do this thing,” said Hawes.
Also Tuesday, Augusta Commission members:
- Approved supplemental funding not to exceed $15.4 million for Hurricane Helene debris removal services with Ceres Environmental Services Inc. Also approved the use of general fund fund-balance to fund these services.
- Approved supplemental funding in an amount not to exceed $1.272 million for Hurricane Helene debris removal monitoring services with Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood Inc. Also approved use of general fund fund-balance to fund these services.
- Approved supplemental funding in an amount not to exceed $874,319 for Hurricane Helene debris removal coordination support services with Infrastructure Systems Management LLC. Also approved use of general fund-fund balance to fund these services.
- Approved a motion to approve task order No. 1 with an amount not to exceed $500,000 for Hurricane Helene cost recovery services through Tetra Tech.
- Agreed to have Troy Akers meet with city officials to come back with a plan for a sports facility including pickleball courts off Interstate 20 near Doctors Hospital. He’s proposing 18 championship-size tennis courts and 48 pickleball courts. He’d also like a 15,000-square-foot gym with a walking track. His goal is to bring back tennis to Richmond County and introduce and grow kickball here, which he said “would put us on the map in the state.” He said the location near I-20 would help.
- Heard from Richard Skuse about paratransit services. He’s a blind veteran who moved here in 2009. “Over the last year, it’s gone downhill, specifically in the last several months,” he said of the service. He gave an example from around Christmas when he called paratransit and was told the service was booked up and he needed to call two weeks in advance. The director of paratransit says there are issues, one being vehicles being down in an accident and also there being a 24-hour notice. Skuse says it’s not just got him, but it’s those living check to check, and having to schedule two weeks out is hard. Commissioners decided to task the administrator and her team to work with transit and come up with a plan.
- Approved purchase of video surveillance security systems for three locations along the Augusta Canal as a sole source procurement in the amount of $90,854.
- Approved Augusta Utilities’ purchase of SmartWorks MDM for AMI data integration as a sole source procurement from systems and software in the amount of $607,000.
- Approved continued funding of the current “on-call property appraisal and acquisition services for Augusta engineering” contract in the amount of $350,000.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia homeowners took to the Capitol for “HOA Day,” with many fearing they could lose their homes to their community associations.
Atlanta News First Investigates has documented hundreds of homeowners reaching out in the last year. Of those, almost half are in lawsuits with their HOA and 30% have liens on their homes. The average fine they’re facing is near $10,000, and they have no office to go to for help.
HOA Day at the Georgia Capitol began with homeowners gathering in Liberty Plaza. Dozens of homeowners pleaded with lawmakers to help.
“The frivolous fines are like your trash can from your backyard, your mailbox and your driveway should be pressure wash. And your fines are in excess of tens of thousands of dollars,” said Rose Lummus of Decatur.
“There’s no lawyers to fight for a homeowners because there’s more lawyers getting money from the homeowners association because of the financial gain,” said Rosalind Grigger of Smyrna.
Darrell Taylor of Villa Rica said his HOA wants to foreclose on his house. “We say we never got what we were promised, so why do I have to give you what you were promised?”
Even some HOA board members showed up to support reform.
“There’s some board members that are good… so we’re just trying to educate,” said Tamara Chase of Fairburn.
HOA Day was organized by Representatives Viola Davis, Kim Schofield and Sandra Scott and Senator Donzella James. The event continued with a call to action for all lawmakers to prioritize and protect Georgia homeowners.
There are several bills involving HOA oversight in both the Senate and House, but lawmakers are pushing two to the forefront: SB 406 and HB 1035. The bills would assign oversight to the Secretary of State and stop foreclosures for unpaid dues.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta University is partnering with Open Arms Outreach to place lifesaving materials throughout downtown Augusta using a $66,000 grant from State opioid settlement money.
Nicoll Gentry knows the importance of a second chance at life. The co-founder of Open Arms Outreach has been sober for three years after someone used Narcan to save her life during an overdose.
“I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Narcan,” Gentry said.
She co-founded Open Arms Outreach to help people struggling with addiction. The organization provides resources without judgment for those battling drug addiction.
“My life today is something I could have never even prayed for. I wouldn’t have known to pray for it,” Gentry said. “We are allowing them the open door to know, hey, there’s a resource out there that I can reach out to that didn’t judge me, that helped me stay alive.”
Two state grants totaling $66,000 will allow Augusta University to place lifesaving materials in 40 downtown businesses, 10 vape shops and 25 buildings across all five of its campuses.
They have 20 on the Summerville campus already.
The goal is to have help at every street corner, with Narcan and test strips in bars and restaurants downtown, so no one is ever more than a few doors away from lifesaving help.
Dr. Aaron Johnson, director of the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University, said the Augusta area had a real need for something that would save a life immediately.
“Public health by definition is community facing, and so we want to have a presence and a partnership with people throughout the community,” Johnson said.
The Richmond County Coroner’s Office reported 76 drug deaths in 2025, with 37 related to opioids. The county is among the highest in the state for drug-related deaths.
“It normalizes the fact that it’s okay to help somebody overdosing. It’s okay to help save somebody’s life,” she said. “I get to be a mother today to my almost 21-year-old daughter. She can count on me to do things. I wasn’t the best of the community, but I give back every day to make up for that.”
Dr. Johnson said they had their first meeting to discuss next steps and reaching out to businesses to start placing the boxes downtown.
Open Arms Outreach will refill the boxes once they’re installed and continue training people across Augusta to help save lives when there’s an opportunity in front of them.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – United Way of the CSRA and Piedmont Augusta hosted a public community resource fair on Wednesday.
The event was in honor of 211 Day — the annual day to raise awareness for the 211 helpline.
PHOTO GALLERY: COMMUNITY RESOURCE FAIR
In the CSRA, the service connects thousands of families to utility assistance, food pantries and health care resources every year.
The event was held in the Piedmont Hospital Cafeteria, 1350 Walton Way, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There were be representatives from the United Way of the CSRA, leadership from Piedmont Augusta and local community resource providers.
Organizers said the aim was to bridge the gap between residents and the essential services they need, including food, housing, and veteran support.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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