AUGUSTA, Ga. – The fact that there are issues and continue to be issues in Augusta cemeteries does not come as any surprise for commissioners in fact last fall in the 2020 budget the approved tens of thousands of new dollars for cemetery maintenance this cemetery
Jim Williams has done this work before taking care of family members graves at Westview Cemetery, and taking in a view of the now overgrown grounds.
“I’ve never seen it like this before it’s always been in a little need of something boy right now its overwhelming,” said Jim Williams.
Augusta leaders have been overwhelmed in recent years with complaints about cemeteries.
So the 2020 budget approved last fall included 66 thousand dollars to hire a contractor for mowing and maintenance at Westview Cemetery.
“We approved the budget for that If it hadn’t been done I need to know why I need to know who is responsible for making sure that it is done no one reported to the commission no one wants to talk about those issues,” says Commissioner Marion Williams.
Though the money is there to pay for maintenance at Westview the coronavirus forced the Procurement Department to postponed going out for requests for proposals in the middle of March.
So no contractors to mow, and for weeks no inmate crews to cut, but city officials say the money approved to do the work ,really wasn’t enough.
“That 66 thousand dollars wasn’t near enough to cut these cemeteries we have the RCCI crews out cutting significant amounts of the cemeteries they haven’t been out due to covid that’s why we’re facing what we’re facing today,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Sean Frantom.
