Augusta, GA

I-TEAM UPDATE: Concerns continue about use of Augusta’s stormwater fees

Published

1 year ago

July 12, 2024

I-TEAM UPDATE: Concerns continue about use of Augusta’s stormwater fees

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – City leaders say in a matter of weeks, they will replace a pipe causing sinkholes around an Augusta woman’s yard.

The homeowner has been fighting for years to get the city to fix the problem like many others paying a stormwater fee.

This is one of more than a dozen projects the city lists on its website under stormwater fees.

If you are a downtown commuter like most, then you’ve probably been caught up in stalled traffic at the some intersections.

Outside of downtown, homeowners are frustrated by years’ worth of stalled projects impacting their property.

The sinkhole grows larger, and patience grows shorter.

MORE STORMWATER PROBLEMS:

“It expanded two inches towards the shop,” said Chelsea Thurmond. “I finally started going out there and measuring now.”

News 12 met Thurmond a month ago — four years into her battle with the city of Augusta.

“The trench is what I now call it,” said Thurmond.

A war trench of sorts in the middle of no man’s land.

A city drainage pipe runs from the street through her property, straight to the sinkhole.

“We were told we would get answers but never heard from anybody. As taxpayers, I don’t feel like we need to harass the city to get something done,” she said.

But after years of patchwork jobs, there are still no real answers.

“I’ve tried calling and I haven’t heard from anybody,” said Thurmond.

The same week we first told you her story, engineering sent a crew to her house.

“They came and dug around a few places sprayed some red paint on the ground over there and dug right into our water line and busted that,” she said.

In an email, the director of engineering says he transitioned the project to a small capital project and his construction staff is “getting a fee proposal from our on-call contractor in the next few weeks they will schedule work.”

A work order from 2020 was also approved as a capital project, but city workers handled it, not a contractor. By handling, they filled in the sinkhole at the time, not replacing the storm pipe.

The director of engineering says the storm system is aging and there are multiple failures across the county. At that time in 2020, he had members of his team leave for other jobs.

“If the outdated infrastructure is any indication, I am almost positive I am not the only person with the same infrastructure issue around the city,” said Thurmond.

MORE FROM THE I-TEAM:

“Every time it rains, we end up with a hole in the yard. The more it rains, the bigger it gets,” she said.

Years of complaints and findings from an auditor in February do not add up.

Emails the I-TEAM received on Friday show the on-call contractor quote to fix the sinkhole at $170,000.

“I highly doubt it would have been that expensive. Instead of doing it all at one time when the issue arose so many years ago, they could have easily done that instead of choosing to waste taxpayers’ money by putting dirt in the hole. I could have put dirt in a hole,” said Thurmond.

Commissioners are working on a list of projects to dedicate $300 million in SPLOST funds next year, which is a separate fund from the stormwater fee.

The administrator wants the focus of the funds to go to infrastructure, but some elected officials are considering spending the money on a water park.

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Augusta, GA

Ga. gubernatorial candidate Geoff Duncan visits Augusta

Published

1 hour ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Ga. gubernatorial candidate Geoff Duncan visits Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan hosted a community conversation in Augusta on Friday.

The event at the HUB for Community Innovation was the final stop of a statewide tour highlighting his fight to bring down housing costs.

Duncan heard from local experts in the housing space and discussed how he says he can expand these efforts and lower costs for families as governor.

Duncan is running as a Democrat, but was a Republican when he served as lieutenant governor.

The former professional baseball player is a fierce opponent of Republican President Donald Trump.

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Augusta, GA

Richmond County school board recommendations spark community reaction

Published

13 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Richmond County school board recommendations spark community reaction

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County School Board’s recommendation to close three schools and build a new college and career academy has drawn reaction from across the community.

The board announced its recommendation on Tuesday to close Jenkins White Elementary and transition the T.W. Josey High and Murphy Middle school site into a college and career academy.

Board member Monique Braswell, speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the board, said she opposes the plan despite acknowledging that that schools need to close due to low attendance.

“I will go on to see glory and I will still never accept it. I will never accept the fact that we are displacing children. I will never accept the fact that if T.W. Josey goes away,” Braswell said. “I will take that to the grave with me.”

Braswell said the district needs to examine underlying causes before making changes.

“We need to figure out why the kids are not going to here, there, and there,” she said. “And we need to take the communities and all the alumni along with us on this ride.”

Sheffie Robinson, president of the T.W. Josey High School Alumni Association, said the proposed changes would disrupt an already affected community. According to the presentation, students would be redistributed to Butler, Laney and Richmond Academy.

“So it’s like you disrupt a community that was built around this that has already had significant disruption over the last 30 years,” Robinson said.

We’re taking a bigger look at the Richmond County School System’s plan for several historic schools.

Under the recommendation, the Josey-Murphy site would close and construction of the college and career academy would start after this school year. Jenkins White Elementary School would also close.

Barton Chapel would be demolished, with a new building constructed for fall 2028.

Michael Thurman, who has three children in Richmond County Schools, questioned the district’s financial management.

“They really need to do a better job of being stewards of our money when they keep building left and right, school after school after school, and tearing down the others,” Thurman said.

Thurman said the district’s past spending raises concerns about the current plan.

“They definitely need to also take in mind that you’re just really wasting a lot of money building these buildings,” he said.

The district said alumni and community members will have opportunities to voice their opinions before the board votes. Public meetings are planned for January.

Braswell emphasized the importance of community engagement in the process.

“The public has to be more engaged. I don’t care if people push you away. You just have to stay engaged as the public,” she said.

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Augusta, GA

Another portion of Augusta Canal towpath is reopening to public

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Another portion of Augusta Canal towpath is reopening to public

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Another section of the Augusta Canal towpath is reopening after being closed since Hurricane Helene.

The storm on Sept. 27, 2024, left the path strewn with debris as broken branches hung precarously overhead.

On Friday, the path will reopen between the raw water pump station and the Interstate 20 bridge.

In preparation, crews have made safety improvements along the previously closed section of the trail.

Visitors are asked to observe all posted signs and stay behind safety barriers.

Embankment repairs have been delayed, but will take place in the future.

Once repair work begins, portions of the towpath will be temporarily closed at various times. Advance notice will be shared with the public before any closures.

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