City leaders approve funds for permanent lights on Greene Street

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Greene Street in Old Towne has been mostly in the dark for months.

We’ve shown you the streetlights turned off for several blocks after reports of dogs getting shocked by exposed wires.

The city decided it was too much of a liability to keep the lights on, and too much money for a permanent fix. There are temporary solar lights in place, and now, they approved the funds for a permanent solution.

“It definitely is way way better. I’m really glad to see lights on the street. Although, as you can see, not all of the lights are working yet,” said Amy Patton, neighbor.

Patton has been living on Greene Street for five years and is happy to hear the city approved funding for permanent lights to complete the job.

“I actually did a TikTok about it not too long ago because I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. It felt a little dangerous getting out of my car, and Greene Street is a main thoroughfare for trucks and stuff,” she said.

Originally fixing the lights was going to be part of a giant downtown development that plans to renovate six streets, including Broad Street.

On Tuesday, they decided to separate those plans and spend $800,000 immediately to get permanent lights on Greene Street.

Commissioner for District 1 Jordan Johnson said: “This is an opportunity for us to do something very major. It’s going to have some growing pains in the meantime, folks are going to be inconvenienced for a little while, but I hope that folks understand that this is huge, that this is great, and that we should get behind it and all grow with it.”

City leaders still have to approve the full downtown renovation plan, but now, Greene Street can rest easy knowing their lighting is guaranteed to come.

“I’m really proud to be a downtown dweller. I love living in Old Towne. It’s a great family-friendly environment, and I’m glad to see the city taking some steps,” said Patton.

John Ussery says that the downtown plan will make its first appearance at next week’s committee meetings. If it passes all the way through commission, we’ll see this two to three-year plan begin as soon as Masters wraps up.

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