New and reinforced streetlights are arriving in Augusta to better illuminate downtown and its environs.
One of the problems with existing streetlights on Broad Street is that tall trees block some of the overhead light. That's made some of the store fronts and sunken parking decks in the median of Broad particularly dark.
"We've been looking for the last five years at how to better light" the city, said Margaret Woodard, the executive director of the Downtown Development Authority.
The $2.7 million project will stretch from 13th Street to Fifth Street and is expected to be completed by July. Traffic will be limited to one lane on the block receiving work.
The new work is just part of the daily repair and replacement of streetlight bulbs done by the city of Augusta. Steve Cassell, the assistant director of the city's traffic and engineering department, said there are roughly 5,000 streetlights within the old city limits that the city maintains. Everything outside that area is maintained by Georgia Power.
Tips from the public help city workers find burned out lamps, but the engineering department will also patrol occasionally at night looking for dark streets. Workers will also activate the lights for daytime inspections.
The type of pole a streetlight is attached to is a good clue which authority you need to call to report a burned out light. Generally metal poles belong to the city and wooden poles belong to Georgia Power, Cassell said.
Another problem is that some streetlights in high crime areas are being shot out by drug dealers and other criminals to hide their activities.
Georgia Power has responded by replacing the damaged lights with bulletproof glass on an "as needed basis," said Christy Ihrig, Georgia Power's spokeswoman.
Part of a project under way to improve lighting on Broad Street is the installation of streetlights with an extra lamp toward the base that will bring lighting below the branches of tall trees.
The $2.7 million project will stretch from 13th Street to Fifth Street and should be completed by July.
The new streetlamps can currently be seen on the recently opened St. Sebastian Way overpass.
-- Kyle Martin, staff writer
To report a dark street within Augusta, call Augusta Cares at (706) 821-2300.
To report a dark street with Georgia Power, call Residential Customer Service at 1-888-660-5890.
Can we keep some of them off on the 5th St end?
Another problem is that some streetlights in high crime areas are being shot out by drug dealers and other criminals to hide their activities.
WHAT??? Downtown is SAFE, Countyman says so!
Wow what a bargain at $208,000 a block. Lets see thats about 15 - 20 thousand a light, isn't it? Sure am glad we didn't waste these essential funds out here in the county on road maintenance or, heaven forbid, cutting the wheat foelds along the streets. Yeah, we need to give Margy some more money to spend on essential projects. And I thought the trash containers installed at a cost of thousands of dollars each or the Signage project at milllions were were crazy ideas. P.S. I think some more officers would have been a better investment. In any event just wait till the millions a released for parking meters. It is just a matter of waiting for us to move our attention somewhere else.
This is a bit expensive, but then again, it is not Maggie's money now is it?
It is free money, tax monies.
Spend all you want, they will print more..
Brad
Corgimom you're too funny, I know you love to be negative on Augusta everyday...
The article didn't say anywhere the streelights who had been shot out were downtown. The person quoted in the article was clearly speaking in general terms. The article said Georgia Power maintains the streelights outside of the old city limits. While the city maintains the streelights inside the old city. Don't you realize downtown is apart of the old city limit?? I live downtown and you live in Charlotte. Please give it up, Augusta is moving forward and leaving the haters behind...
Dissman, almost all of the project is being paid for by GADOT.
The downtown area is going through other streetscape projects. New sidewalks, streetlights, and trees on James Brown Boulevard/9th street. 9th street will be transformed into a major gateway(2 yrs ago most people would have laugh)downtown. But with the new library, judicial center, red-star mix-use building, laney walker developments, a future shopping center and expanded Dyess park. 9th street is definitely on it's way too becoming a major gateway...
A new stage is under construction at the 8th street Bulkhead for the popular Candlelight Jazz Series and Saturday Market on the river..
On another topic: The Bar on Broad(upscale club) is now open..
Countyman: GADOT money is TAX money. Seems like a lot of money for lights.
Augusta is running in circles chasing its own tail, countyman. You herald the opening of 1 new used-car dealership as progress, while have at least 4 closed on Gordon Highway, decaying, being vandalized, and many others scattered THROUGHOUT THE CITY. More restaurants are not going to help this city. More strip malls are not going to help this city. Revitalization of downtown & existing neighborhoods will. If we do not address the poverty, blight, crime & poor public schooling... successfull people with young children people will continue to LIVE in Aiken or Columbia County. Finally saw that "Enclave" place near Laney Walker you were spazzing over months ago. Wow. There's 4 or 5 overpriced townhomes surrounded by squalor.
Over 340 million worth of construction in a 1 mile radius downtown??? Millions being pumped into Laney Walker and Bethlehem? Millions being invested into Harrisburg? When did I ever say a used car dealership is progress... Millions going into a Gordon Hwy/Millegeville road residential development? Millions going into a new residential development in the demolished Underwood property?
Graduation rates
Columbia 83%
Richmond 76%
Aiken 68%
GA AP Honor Schools
Richmond-Davidson, AR Johnson, ARC, Westside
Columbia-Lakeside, Greenbrier
There's a 25 acre shopping center coming to Jimmie Dyess Parkway near the Zaxbys.. Why??? Because Willhaven off Gordon Hwy(btw Jimmie Dyess & Ft. Gordon/Ft Discovery exit) was the best selling neighborhood in the year 2009. Elderberry(off Jimmie Dyess)and Granite Hill(off Belair rd)are still building new homes. Developers will start construction on another new neighborhood(Cushendal)off Belair road soon. It seems plenty of successful people with young children are moving in the area...
Correction Countyman. Millions are not coming to Harrisburg. The money is in the Kroc Center. There is not one dime designated for the Harrisburg neighborhood, proper. We are yet to see the impact that Kroc may have on the area. We, however, are hoping for the best, because it can't get much worse. Also remember that the money raised for Kroc was through private donations and then was matched times three by the Joan Kroc foundation.
Sibley Mill?? Martha Lester School? Broad Mill Village and Eve street Row are coming with the Kroc Center...
"New and reinforced streetlights are arriving in Augusta to better illuminate downtown and its environs." <----------
So what part of the city do YOU think it's going to be in, Countyman?
Sure sounds like DOWNTOWN to me!
What really is so sad is that Countyman is one of the many in A-RC who encourges urban sprawl and thinks it's a good thing, and doesn't understand that it leads to decay and slums.
It's called "I want to make my money and I don't care about the long-term deleterious effects on Augusta"
Countyman, Columbia County DOES NOT NEED another shopping center.
Corgimom, please give it up. Nobody denied there are new lights going downtown. The article CLEARLY stated in the last paragraph Georgia Power maintains the streetlights outside the old city limits? Wouldn't the city be responding if people shot out lights downtown(central business district)?
You need to be worrying about Charlotte instead of trying to bash Augusta everyday. Augusta is doing much better compared to Charlotte. Augusta rolled back property taxes three times in a matter of two weeks. The july sales tax revenue this year is higher compared to last year. Augusta's unemployment(9.3%) is lower than the national(9.7%)and state(10.2%)averages. While Charlotte unemployment is listed at 11.2%.
Richmond County doesn't really need a new shopping center. We have Augusta mall, Surrey Center, Augusta Exchange, and numerous other shopping centers. Developers will continue to build when they know something is lucrative. The Carmax area in West Augusta is still undeveloped... Augusta is listed on the Bass Pro website.. There supposed to locate at VAR, but they might go somewhere else... Colony Plaza in South Augusta is adding three acres of development.. The new entrance at CP is under contruction as we speak. Target, Ruby Tuesday, Chick Fil A, etc are coming somewhere in South Augusta sooner or later.
Countyman, What is Eve St. Row? Right now it is a row of drug dealers and prostitutes. Fill me in.
First Stop Village(seven renovated houses)
Eve Street Row (five renovated houses)
Broad Mill Village(rehabilitating six historic mill duplexes)
Don't worry the side of Harrisburg facing the Medical District(Btw Eve and 15th) will look similar to the nice side of Harrisburg(facing the Hill)in the future.. Kroc Centers raise the property value in the surrounding area everywhere they're built.
Countryman,
How about that price tag? Think about it...for what they are spending on lights, the Commission could hire a Chronic Task Force of 32 people!
Which would do miore good?
Brad
C-Man...Ok. Eve St. Row is part of the Kroc Center. They bought all of those houses. I believe the Broad Mill Village will be part of the work of the Fuller Foundation partnership which is a good thing. I do hope that the Kroc Center has a great effect on Harrisburg. I am counting on it.
"Wouldn't the city be responding if people shot out lights downtown(central business district)?"
You read it here first-Countyman says "No lights are being shot out downtown."
The City IS responding- as in REINFORCED LIGHTS.
REINFORCED LIGHTS would not be needed if the only problem was trees.
Countyman just gets funnier and funnier. Gotta love him.
"Augusta rolled back property taxes three times in a matter of two weeks. "
Yeah, Charlotte's doing worse, all right.
Their city leaders have said "We are cutting back NOW because we are not going to drain our reserves."
We have not had an increase in our home assessment OR an increase in our taxes in 10 years.
Too bad Augustans can't say the same.
Of course, I don't consider a $5.00 reduction in property tax worth discussing- because I know bull mess when I see it- but I guess Countyman does.
corgi-
Read the article (you never do apparently)... it says Georgia Power is placing the reinforced lights. Georgia Power does not maintain the lights in the "old city/downtown" area. Even if countyman was wrong here (he's not), he's got one thing right... you have serious issues with Augusta and many of these issues are WAY off base.
There are many good things about Augusta and many bad things... how is that different than ANY other city? Your "the sky is falling routine" is lame.
Countyman. Quantify "almost" into an amount that we taxpayers can understand. BTW why is the state funds being disbursed by a non-elected body whose sole purpose per the city code is to issue bonds? P.S. I didnt know broad street was a georgia numbered highway, and if it is whya are we spending any local money on it? Further, if it is a state highway, why aren'y dosen't the Highway Patrol have any cruisers there?
Countyman. The 340 million figure you quoyed would equate to about 50 dollars for every square foot in that circle. Again it seems a mite expensive in these times. But I guess the "stakeholders" must be kept in a standard of living they have become accustomed to.
tclu1983- if you were a regular poster, you would also know that articles on here are frequently edited after they are posted by the AC- because the article that I read did not have this -"Georgia Power has responded by replacing the damaged lights with bulletproof glass on an "as needed basis," said Christy Ihrig, Georgia Power's spokeswoman.
Actually countyman raises a very good point for discussion. Why are there two different systems in our consolidated city for getting street lights fixed? Why do I have to call GA power instead of the same folks people living downtown call? Which has the best repair rates and response times? Are we a consolidated city or is that only to placate the "stakeholders"?
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