Renee’s Open Letter to the City of Augusta

Dear City of Augusta,

My name is Renee Nelson. I have worked in Augusta for half of my life and I have lived in the capital city for 13 years.  I am kinda fond of you.

There is so much you have… the dog park, people parks, the walking trails, the river, shopping, the airport and lots of places to eat.  Despite what you must face with budgets and all that running-a-city-stuff-I-know-nothing-about…my trash gets picked up, police and fire are there if I need them and my little side street is plowed.  I SAY THANK YOU!

BUT....I do have a sidewalk concern.

Augusta, I am a walker.  There are a lot of walkers in the city.  (Not a walker like Walking Dead, but I walk places) I walk to the store, the post office, to appointments and to work. The sidewalks are important to me.  So, when we walkers take on the likes of Bangor Street and Western Ave it can be nerve wracking for walkers and drivers alike.

I am a Western Ave. walker.  On a good day, the sidewalk is kind of narrow and on Western Ave., traffic moves along (if ya know what I mean) so it always can feel a little scary.  Then you add in some snow and ice, there are new challenges.  SO I have to walk in the roadway (yikes!) if the sidewalk is not plowed yet.  But the little plow thinger for the sidewalks has some design flaws.  First of all, the plow does not scrape it down to the tar, so there is a layer of snow and ice.  BUT the biggest issue I see is that the sidewalk plow seems to tilt to the left…SO IF I slip while walking on the narrow, ice covered sidewalk on Western Ave. I am likely to slip to the left and toward traffic.  When I am walking with ShadowDog it is extra nerve wracking.

To be fair… I don’t think there is enough room to expand the sidewalk and cleaning up the snow can be a challenge, the roads are the priority.  BUT is there a way the sidewalk plow can tilt more to the right?  That way when the sidewalks have some snow and ice, the buildup would tilt to the right…away from traffic?

Thanks for your consideration,

Renee Nelson
Augusta resident since 2005

p.s. Yes, I wear creepers on my boots.