Tonight’s the night. Athens City Council is expected to make a decision about accepting an abandoned gas station and to hear arguments from Student Senate for opening the controversial Bobcat Lane.
After canceling an initial hearing on Thursday, council members are expected to make a final decision to either accept or deny ownership of a gas station at 83 Columbus Road.
If the city doesn’t take the abandoned Bi-Lo station soon, the state of Ohio will take the land off their hands.
The choice is handed to local government after repeated efforts by the State Fire Marshall’s Office to have the owner of the property safely manage either the reinstated use or removal of the tanks.
“If the owner decided to remove the tanks, they also have to deal with an environmental study to show there’s been no leak,” said Shane Cartmill, spokesman of the Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office. “There’s been no indication that there’s been any leak, but without an environmental study, there’s no certainty.”
Cartmill says because there’s been no word from the owner, and no action has been taken regarding the future of the underground tanks, the Fire Marshall’s Office has referred the case to the Attorney General’s Office.
Spokesmen for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office could not be reached for comment.
The local jurisdiction is given an option to obtain property first, and then it could be offered to the state, said councilwoman Michelle Papai, D-3rd Ward.
But accepting the property is a double-edged sword for council, because while the land could be developed or sold at the city’s discretion, there could be contamination in the underground tanks, which could be costly for the city to treat.
Since the gas station is in the city’s wellhead protection area, it is important to make sure there’s no contamination in that area, said councilman Jeff Risner, D-2nd Ward.
“If the site is relatively clean of contaminants, I’d like to see the city take it to either develop it or sell it off,” he said. “We’re opening the tanks up to see what’s down there, and we expect to have that information on Monday; it helps to know what you’re voting on.”
Council will also hear a presentation from Ohio University’s Student Senate about the future of Bobcat Lane as members of senate’s “Why No Oxbow” task force are expected to make their case for the road to be opened.
The unopened road would connect Baker University Center’s Oxbow Trial to Richland Avenue, but it has been blocked from traffic since its construction in 2008.
Senate plans to get the conversation started and increase awareness, said Chris Wimsatt, chairman of the “Why No Oxbow” task force.
“At the meeting, we’re going to show the 2007 Ohio University study that shows opening Bobcat Lane wouldn’t do harm to the community,” he said. “We’re also going to be discussing the city code that suggests not opening Bobcat Lane isn’t legal.”
The portion of Athens city code that Wimsatt referred to is Chapter 21.05.10, which reads: “Permanent dead-end streets shall not be permitted.”
City officials have said the ordinance in question is a part of the subdivision regulations, which does not affect Bobcat Lane.
Even if council passed an ordinance to have the street opened, Mayor Paul Wiehl, who has previously panned the idea of opening the road, could veto the ordinance, Risner said.
“Ultimately it would be the mayor’s administration capacity that would open the road,” Wimsatt said. “I just want to present it to council so that they are aware of the facts.”
jj360410@ohiou.edu
