Athens City Council members discussed arrangements for Halloween Weekend and adopted ordinances at Monday night’s meeting.
Court Street will be closed from end to end October 26-28 for Halloween festivities. The stages will be located at the intersection with Union Street and near Courtside Pizza. Music will begin at 6 p.m. This year’s stage will be smaller than previous years, and parking for staff members will be located behind Buffalo Wild Wings. Congress Street will also be open this year.
The city noise ordinance will be suspended to allow bands to continue to play music until midnight.
Members also said parking garage rates will be suspended on these dates with anticipation of Halloween weekend.
Construction and engineering services were authorized for Richland Bridge over Coates Run. The bridge is located next to the Ohio University Inn and the Municipal Bridge Program secured a grant of $990,000. The road will be open the entirety of construction, and nearby businesses will also stay open.
The Northwest Bikeway Spur was suspended on second reading. The city would like to get a bid to receive the lowest price possible. The project initially faced complications with trees, and having to maintain walls in order to protect the stream. Estimated design costs total about $552,000.
Members also suspended discussion of design services for the wastewater treatment plant dewatering project. The site is already selected at the treatment plant, and the city will be using $170,000 to purchase and update equipment.
Council members also discussed funds for acquiring a new pumper truck. The city now holds a debt of $323,000. So far this year, $100,000 has been paid down. The rest of the money will be obtained through issued notes and borrowed money to complete the project.
