Athens City Council members will introduce an ordinance Monday night that would allow more than $1 million in improvements to Richland Avenue to increase accessibility for pedestrians.
The improvements would be on the crosswalk north of The Convo on Richland Avenue. According to a report by the Buckley Group, a pedestrian tunnel could be installed near where the current crosswalk is.
“This would allow pedestrians to maintain the general direction of the current high use path from West Green to the center of Ohio University’s campus,” the report reads.
According to the projections by The Buckley Group made in 2015, the tunnel could cost more than $1 million, and improvements to the lighting and sidewalks would also be part of the project.
Additionally, council members will discuss establishing an affordable housing commission. According to a previous Post report, interest in affordable housing was sparked by a report by Councilwoman Michele Papai, D-3rd Ward, and OU Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Stephen Golding.
“(Papai and Golding) worked with a committee to produce a report on affordable housing in the community,” Athens City Council President Chris Knisley said in the previous Post report. “One of the things that came about was how do we look at our neighborhoods and make sure that they're vital areas, make sure we've got good student housing and how we can coordinate that kind of approach.”
Council members will also introduce an ordinance authorizing the instruction and engineering of improvements to the city’s water treatment plant. According to a previous Post report, Councilman Kent Butler, D-1st Ward, said the cost was worth the benefits.
“The water treatment plant is dated,” Butler said. “Original construction began in the 1950s. The project is intended to update many working aspects of the system.”
