Ordinances concerning Halloween and the armory came up against opposition at weekly city council meeting.
Athens City Council voted against a proposed ordinance to close Court Street on Oct. 26th during the Trick or Treat hosted by Athens Uptown Business Association.
The 2-5 vote not to adopt the ordinance came after Athens Underground owner Barbara Stout voiced concerns at the city council meeting for the second time this year that the street closing would hinder her business.
“This is the ultimate exercise in futility,” Stout said. “The last six days before the block party accounts for more than the entire summer. It is difficult to have a business on Court Street and (it’s) getting more and more difficult.”
Councilwoman Michele Papai, D-3rd Ward, said Stout is not the only business owner affected by the closing of Court Street.
“(Business owners) don’t all benefit from the things that get done," Papai said. "We might want to put a think tank group together to talk about it."
Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl cautioned against changing the date and said it would “impede Halloween.”
The street closed for the first time in 2008 during Wiehl’s first Halloween as mayor, he said.
“There were too many kids on the sidewalk,” Wiehl said. “We try to embrace (Halloween) instead of shutting it down.”
Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward, also voiced her concern over the date change.
“I think it’s almost too late at this point if you’re trying to get your police and everybody on board,” Fahl said.
Councilmen Steve Patterson, D-At Large, and Mike Canterbury, D-At Large, both voted for the ordinance to close the street.
“My reasoning is simple: my two three-and-a-half-year-old girls who I’m going to be taking out that night. Because I’m a supporter of the Chamber of Commerce (and) AUBA as well,” Patterson said.
Patterson also said the ordinance as it reads currently is simply for closing the streets on the Oct. 26 date.
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“Now I’m going to have to worry about crossing the street safely with my kids and the others,” Patterson said. “Could the date have been moved? That’s a whole different ordinance that would require discussion to have the date and the closing shifted. It’s a safety issue.”
Councilmen Kent Butler, D-1st Ward, and Jeff Risner, D-2nd Ward, along with Papai and Fahl all voted against the ordinance.
“I voted no because I felt like I didn’t have enough information,” Risner said. “I can’t vote on nebulous information.”
But Papai said now more businesses will have time to voice their concerns.
“I think that everybody agrees that it’s dangerous,” Papai said.
Council passed an ordinance allowing bids to be accepted for the repairs of the roof and brick walls of the Athens armory.
Canterbury raised concerns regarding the figure the bid is being placed for.
RVC Architects, the architecture firm that provided the $82,500 estimated cost of the repairs, will most likely bid for the project.
Wiehl said it would be in RVC’s best interest to be accurate with the bid. With only a certain amount available for the project, if the bid comes in over the amount already estimated, the city will be forced to put the project on hold, Wiehl said.
Canterbury was the sole dissenter in the 6-1 vote to pass the ordinance.
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