AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Poor infrastructure and lack of maintenance are complaints we hear every year in Augusta, and city leaders agree.

While leaders narrow down the list of projects you could see on your ballot in November, neighbors say there’s an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed, and that’s years of alleged neglect.

Neighbors say, if money is going to go anywhere, it should go towards trash, overgrown weeds and blighted properties.

Some are taking it upon themselves to enact change, but they say they can’t do it by themselves.

Some roads crumble with cracked sidewalks and grass so tall it looks as if it could swallow you.

“You can see where basically the hillside is washing away, and it’s falling down here onto the embankment here,” said Eric Gaines, an Augusta resident. ”It just gets worse as we go further down here, and then, not to mention, this street has been a dumping ground.”

There is a story on Railroad Street, and Gaines is helping to find a better ending.

“ My grandparents grew up over here on Nicholas Street, and I remember coming down here as a kid; there used to be houses all up and down railroad street,” said Gaines.

Now he’s building a house in the neighborhood that built him.

“That’s the only way that we’re gonna be able to get some of these neighborhoods cleaned up, is that some of us are gonna personally have to come in and put our own dollars into these communities in order to kind of jumpstart some type of progress,” he said.

And he is already getting the attention of those in charge.

“ I’ve been working with them as well as Commissioner Pulliam and Commissioner Scott, and they’ve been very instrumental with getting some of these things done,” said Gaines.

Gaines, however, wants to see the talk turn into something bigger

“The folks here also deserve nice, safe and clean neighborhoods to take a part in, and I know that there are many constraints, but this right here is years of not being paid any attention to,” he said.

Gaines tells us he’s met with commissioners and the engineering department as well.

He says they are working together to hopefully start a site survey at the start of next year.

As for the SPLOST 9 list, as they work to finalize the list of projects that you can vote on, infrastructure was one of their top priorities as they finalize that list.

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