Augusta weighs giving up 9 parks as 82 department jobs sit vacant

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Augusta is considering giving up nine neighborhood parks, and new records show the staffing and maintenance needs facing Parks and Recreation as city leaders prepare to revisit the idea.Earlier this year, a city consultant identified the nine parks as underused and recommended the city consider giving them up. The consultants estimated the parks would need $468,000 a year in maintenance. They said those estimates are years old and do not reflect what Augusta actually spends.Bedford Heights is one of the parks on the list. Jim Boatwright lives across the street from Bedford Heights Park.“We see it used all the time,” Boatwright said. “It’s maybe underused as compared to some other parks, but it is one that’s in our neighborhood, and it is used by the people that live here.”An October staffing report requested for this story shows Parks and Recreation had 82 unfilled positions. Thirteen are parks maintenance workers and supervisors.Across the department, a 2027