Litter cleanup backer makes bigger plans

Henry Frischknecht considers himself an activist, but he's not the kind who marches and waves signs.

He's the kind who takes signs down, specifically illegal signs stuck in Gordon Highway rights of way; fills plastic bags with trash on roads; and recruits hundreds of other people to do the same.

In June, Mr. Frischknecht was one of the organizers, along with Augusta Commissioner Jimmy Smith and former Acura of Augusta manager Rick Brady, of a cleanup that covered 12 miles of Gordon Highway. A second cleanup is scheduled Nov. 7, with volunteers again meeting at 6:30 a.m. at Southgate Shopping Center, and this time taking on Deans Bridge Road, too.

A New Jersey native who moved to Augusta from New York state 14 years ago, Mr. Frischknecht -- pronounced frish-connect -- believes Gordon Highway could be more than a corridor of eyesores.

"Garbage pickup is just fine, but that's just a small aspect of what needs to be done on this road," he said. "It could be better than Washington Road, really. It could be a major thoroughfare."

After the June cleanup came news that keeping the road presentable was going to be tougher than south Augustans thought. The state Department of Transportation, looking to save $11 million, announced it would now be mowing along state routes once a year instead of twice.

Mr. Frischknecht, the owner of Empire Truck & Tractor, took over the reins of a campaign started by Mayor Deke Copenhaver to find 100 people to donate $1,000 apiece to pay a private company to handle state highway maintenance. Within a few months, he had 42 pledges totaling $40,200, with some being for more than $1,000. Donnie Thompson of Windsor Jewelers said he would help with manpower and equipment.

While some pledges came from such prominent residents as Braye Boardman; Bruz Boardman; Pat Blanchard; Austin Rhodes; and Commissioners Don Grantham, Joe Bowles and Joe Jackson, most were from fellow Gordon Highway business owners.

"If we don't do it, nobody else is going to do it," Mr. Frischknecht said. "It's business sense. That's what works."

The campaign has tapered off. Mr. Frischknecht became busy with work and his positions on the Master Plan Advisory Committee and Greater Augusta Progress. With the growing season coming to a close -- and with DOT having just recently cut along Gordon Highway -- Mr. Frischknecht said he plans to use the cold months as a reprieve, a time to hit up more potential donors and come up with a plan and a budget.

The truth is it's going to take a lot more than $100,000, he said, and he might seek money from the city. He said he envisions the money being used not just for mowing along state routes, but also for landscaping and tree planting.

He has a passion for trees, being a certified arborist, a former owner of Empire Tree and Turf and one of the people who tried to save the Arsenal Oak at Augusta State University.

"We'll just keep working, getting pledges," Mr. Frischknecht said. "Believe me, I'm going to be pushing more on that."

What ails Gordon Highway goes deeper than litter and overgrowth, he said. There's the dormant Regency Mall, empty buildings, and hotels that have become havens for prostitution and drugs.

Mr. Frischknecht said he supports passage of a Chronic Nuisance Properties Ordinance, an idea being pushed by Harrisburg residents to deal with crime-ridden properties, though he doesn't agree with the Harrisburg activists' tactic of protesting landlords at their places of work.

"One area can take another area down," he said. "Just like that, it will take over."

Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.