More money approved for Diamond Lakes, boat house repairs

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Getting the long-troubled restrooms up and running at Diamond Lakes Regional Park was a rocky journey.

Even rockier than we knew.

Almost $155,000 was approved Tuesday by the Augusta Commission to pay for more work than was originally planned for the restroom and concession building at the park.

The work was needed to correct a few problems uncovered after the last round of repairs and improvements.

The problems included vandalism and graffiti, ceiling tiles, pressure washing, painting and a plumbing issue with some drain lines.

The city asked the contractor to go ahead and make the fixes back before the improvements debuted in September. The additional money was approved Tuesday to pay the contractor for that extra work.

A week after the sudden and immediate resignation of Parks and Recreation Director Maurice McDowell – along with his request for three months of “severance” pay – parks and recreation facilities were prominent on Tuesday’s agenda of the commission.

Among them were plans for the troubled Augusta Boat House.

After water pipes broke during a freeze, water gushed out and created damage and a mold infestation that’s brought months of discussion over whether to salvage the building or demolish it and start fresh.

The commission on Tuesday approved $400,000 to help fix the Augusta Rowing Club’s space and start to renovate parts of the building that need help.

The commission also received options on what the two entryway gates of the Riverwalk may look like with Ed McIntyre’s name on it. The commission recently voted to name the Riverwalk for the former mayor.

Ultimately the commission approved this design Tuesday:

Meanwhile the city’s interim administrator, Takiyah Douse, addressed a mass email sent out by the operator of the Fifth Street Marina.

The marina operator claims the city had the water and power service shut off to the docks, forcing many boat owners to relocate.

She said a lot of conversation still needs to be had before service is completely shut off. But if that must happen, there would be considerable notice.

She also negated the marina operator’s claim of lack of maintenance.

At Diamond Lakes

The Diamond Lakes repairs and improvements have been welcome to many.

The building has been plagued for years by faulty plumbing, repair delays and vandalism.

The city says the facilities have been an issue for Diamond Lakes going back to when they opened in 2012. Back then, it was just water leakage, but since 2019 leading up to the beginning of 2023, more than $900,000 had already gone into fixing up these buildings that keep on having issues.

Last February, the Augusta Commission approved another $850,000 in SPLOST 7 and 8 funds as a final fix, bringing that final price tag fix to around $1.75 million.

City officials said from there, the facilities would initially be completed by spring but continued to see delays into the summer. On top of construction delays and piping issues, there was vandalism.

The restrooms opened just in time for the USSSA Military Worlds softball tournament which brought in thousands of veterans from across the country and overseas.

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