Throughout his mayoral campaign in 2015, Steve Patterson promised to pursue “ smarter infrastructure,” to further the Essence of Athens project and to continue communicating with Ohio University.
Now, a year into his term, Patterson has been building off the work of former Democratic mayors Ric Abel and Paul Wiehl, and many of his campaign promises have been realized.
Infrastructure
The City of Athens completed several major projects since Patterson’s inauguration, including the Columbus Road bike path spur, which cost the city nearly $2.3 million.
The city also delivered new recycling carts to homes around Athens, though that project was spearheaded by Deputy City Service Safety Director Ron Lucas who came up with the idea two years ago.
Patterson supported the recycling project as a way to reduce landfill waste.
“I just feel this is the proper step in the right direction to reduce wet trash going in our landfill,” Patterson said in a previous interview.
In addition, he requested a larger percentage of the city’s income tax be put toward “road rehabilitation” for 2017, City Council President Chris Knisley said.
“The mayor is requesting a minor shift so that some additional monies go into ‘street rehabilitation,’ ” Knisely said. “It’s basically our street repaving and repairs that go on every year.”
Patterson also held a public meeting in September introducing plans to renovate the armory, which sits on the north end of Court Street. Patterson said the issue has been at the “forefront of his mind” since he took office, and he indicated it might be renovated during his administration.
Knisely noted Patterson is building on what previous Athens mayors have done.
“He’s building on a very solid reputation that former mayors Ric Abel and Paul Wiehl, who I think did a very good job of managing the city,” she said.
Essence of Athens
Progress on the Essence of Athens project, which was meant to make Athens more unique and help the city to maintain its culture, has been slow.
City Planner Paul Logue, in a previous interview, said the plan was meant to take time.
“I think it has to be slow,” Logue said. "I think because it's artistic in nature, it's going to be in flux ... We want to just get the conversation started and do a few projects to move that forward.”
Several steps were made to further the Essence of Athens in 2016, including artistic stenciling on the Union Street roundabout and putting art-covered boxes on traffic control switches uptown.
In September, Patterson said the plan is still relevant to his administration.
“There is more to be unveiled,” Patterson said. “It has not been forgotten or put on the shelf.”
Ohio University
Patterson continues to communicate with Ohio University during his term.
Knisely said Patterson continues Mayor Wiehl’s policy of monthly meetings with OU President Roderick McDavis, who will be leaving the university in early February.
While no new lines of communication have been established, the city continues to work with OU in several instances, such as assisting with crowd control during Halloween.
In addition, Patterson reaffirmed the “Memorandum of Understanding” between the City of Athens and OU that Wiehl and McDavis created.
Overall
In the past year, Patterson has delivered on many of the issues he campaigned on: he has implemented the Essence of Athens projects, completed infrastructure projects and maintained communication with OU.
Progress has been made on various city projects, and Patterson has continued many of the traditions that Athens mayors have established, including the weekly press conference and monthly meetings with OU’s president.
Knisely said Patterson had been successful in his first year of office.
“I think that the mayor has done a good job,” she said. “He has a vision for moving the city forward.”
