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Manuel Huishupa places bricks around a manhole as Abraham Morales shovels the mortar. The city is planning an Oct. 26 grand opening after unexpected obstacles delayed progress.
ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER/STAFF |
Downtown's premier park likely won't be completed until late October, but city contractors say that by next month Augusta Common will start looking less like a demolition site and more like an urban refuge.
Public works officials report that the project, which was scheduled for a speedy completion, has fallen behind. The city now is planning for an Oct. 26 grand opening, about one month later than originally planned.
Unexpected obstacles uncovered at the site - in the 800 block between Broad and Reynolds streets - have slowed the process, contractors report.
"There's just too many things under the ground downtown - old things - that you just don't foresee," said Brian Franklin, an inspector for the city's public works department, which is overseeing the Augusta Common project.
Since bulldozers started digging last fall, workers have uncovered countless buried items, including a long-forgotten underground bank tunnel, storm sewers and the remains of a horse.
Gated off by a chain-link fence, the Common site is mostly littered with piles of old bricks and expansive sections of red clay.
Within the next few weeks, however, several piles of dark-brown landscaping dirt will be shoveled into large brick planters where shrubs, trees and flowers will be planted, contractors say. Red clay pathways will be covered by a layer of smooth white concrete, and the exposed brick walls of neighboring buildings will be painted with a stucco finish.
"There should be a noticeable difference by the middle of August," said Robert Clements, an assistant pre-construction engineer in the city's Department of Public Works.
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Maximino Herrera, of Advance Outdoor Services, cuts bricks for the project in the 800 block between Broad and Reynolds streets.
ANNETTE M. DROWLETTE/STAFF |
The city is planning an Oct. 26 grand opening ceremony, which will include live entertainment, arts and crafts, and a laser and fireworks show. The event still is in the planning stages, but several major sponsors already have signed on to help cover some costs, said Tom Beck, the city Parks and Recreation director.
A planning committee is working to secure some "big-name acts" for the grand opening, Mr. Beck said, but he declined to say who might be performing.
At the ceremony, a statue of Augusta founder James Edward Oglethorpe will be unveiled. The $90,000 monument will stand at the center of the Common and is being paid for by the downtown revitalization group Augusta Tomorrow Inc.
Reach Heidi Coryell Williams at (706) 823-3215 or heidi.williams@augustachronicle.com.
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