‘A lot of work to do:’ Dawson mayor holds town hall to address infrastructure, other city issues

DAWSON – Leaders here hosted an open forum for Dawson residents to learn about ongoing issues and progress being made toward sewer, water and road infrastructure improvements.

About 100 people filled the seats at Dawson’s Main Street Theatre, to hear from Dawson Mayor Robert Aaron. This town hall came after residents expressed concern about ongoing sewer and water line issues at a Terrell County Historic Preservation Society meeting two weeks before. Dawson residents complained about holes, exposed piping and leaks as the city temporarily patches up its outdated water lines. 

“We have a lot of work to do, but we do have a plan to meet the needs,” Aaron told the town hall attendees.

John Bergozza, the city’s water pollution control plant superintendent, gave the first update about the city’s water wells and wastewater treatment plant. He announced that the city’s water wells hadn’t been addressed in a while and were in need of attention. Bergozza said the city reached a contract agreement to have these wells flushed, washed and surveyed. 

“We’re going to get a quote to hopefully set up a maintenance program,” he said. 

Bergozza also addressed the city’s ongoing issues with its wastewater treatment plant. The city received a consent order from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to address sewer overflows at a manhole off of U.S. Highway 82.  

City leaders, including Bergozza, had been warned about recurring permit violations and noncompliance at Dawson’s water pollution control plant since July 2020, according to records obtained by The Dawson News. The Georgia DNR EPD finally issued a proposed consent order in 2024, forcing the city to pay a $5,016 settlement and submit an updated spill response plan within 30 days. The city was compliant on this order as of July.

Dawson’s former city manager, Cherysh Green-Caldwell, previously fired Bergozza for insubordination after the council was made aware of apparent mismanagement. However, Bergozza’s appearance Thursday night made it clear his position has been reinstated since Green-Caldwell’s position was terminated by the council in August.

Bergozza said Thursday that the city is in the process of upgrading its wastewater treatment plant. 

“Unfortunately, we don’t have enough money to do everything at one time, so we’re starting in sections,” he said. “As long as the plant has been able to run, we have been able to meet permits. There have been times where we have lost the inflow pumping. We’ve had to rely on our holding pond, and during those times, we have violated our permit.”

Bergozza said the city needs 20 Dawson residents to participate in lead and copper sampling of the city’s water. Volunteers signed up Thursday

A Dawson resident raised her hand to ask if the water well cleaning will improve the smell of the city’s water. 

“Getting the water tanks cleaned is going to improve the water in the city tremendously, and it’ll actually save the city money, because we won’t be having the chlorine usage that we have right now,” Bergozza said. “There’s something called a chlorine demand, and we actually have to use extra chlorine because we’re having to keep that tank disinfected. I think you’re going to see a citywide difference once we get these tanks clean, especially if we get the tanks clean and keep them clean.” 

He confirmed that there is no threat to public health with these ongoing issues. 

Aaron said Dawson has “major issues” with its water and sewer plants. 

“The only way to fix that is, as you know, money, and lots of money that we don’t have,” he said. 

Aaron said Carter&Sloope, which is the engineering firm working on the wastewater treatment plant, is helping the city seek loans and grants to pay for the project, which Aaron said will cost close to $1 million. 

He said the city has applied for Community Block Development Grants but has been denied. In the last two months, multiple southwest Georgia cities, including nearby Parrot, were approved for millions of dollars in grants for infrastructure projects. Aaron said Dawson missed out on applying for these grants because the city’s financial records were “not in order for us to do that.” 

The city recently hired a full-time Finance Officer to address this problem. 

“We’re working diligently to get those financial records in order, and we’ll be applying for those grants come April,” Aaron said. “We’re hopeful that we will get it.” 

Residents also had questions about persisting potholes. Many said potholes along the streets they lie on will be patched up, only to come back again. Repeated driving over these potholes has even caused water lines to burst, some residents said. 

Diane Pratt, a Dawson resident who lives along Ninth Avenue, said there are so many potholes along her street that drivers have to “do the wave” to avoid hitting them. 

Aaron did not have good news for these residents, saying the city’s roads will not be repaved until the city can afford a large-scale overhaul of its current water lines. Aaron said 25% of the city of Dawson has 2-inch, galvanized water lines that burst and break.

“You can fix one part of it, and then 10 feet further they’re breaking out again,” he said. “We need to … replace all the 2-inch lines and replace them with 6-inch lines. So that’s why you see potholes and water busting out all over the city. We do not want to do any road paving until we fix the pipes under the roads.”

Attendees spent close to an hour, raising their hands and asking about other concerns: blight, affordable housing, recreation for youths and questions about the county’s industrial park. 

Aaron had answers for some. He pointed to the city’s new Code Enforcement Officer, Gregory Warren, who is working to address blight, especially in the city’s downtown, to promote continued development. 

But, Dawson’s to-do list is long with the relocation of the fire department, renovations for city hall and other needs pressing on top of its crumbling infrastructure.