The Athens County Commissioners addressed concerns at Tuesday’s meeting regarding some of the problems caused by the speed limit on Route 682.
Route 682 begins at 35 mph, changes to 45 mph and finally deceases back to 35 mph. Jeff Maiden, county engineer, said the state road was out of his control and needed to be addressed with the Ohio Department of Transportation.
A motion was made to request that ODOT perform a traffic study and also create a committee for the reduction of the speed limit.
Jean Demosky, the executive director of the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services, also discussed how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will change due to government shutdown.
The SNAP program, which helps to feed families in the Athens, will be allocating its funds earlier than usual, Demosky said.
The February disbursement is normally distributed during the beginning of next month but will now be Jan. 16. Demosky said the same amount of money will be allocated.
If the government reopens, the next disbursement won’t be distributed until the beginning of March, she said. Demosky is unsure of what will happen if the government is still shut down come March.
Charlie Adkins, Athens county commissioner, said an issue with the earlier allocation of funds could affect the types of food SNAP recipients buy. Adkins asked his fellow members of the commission if there were any ways in which they could help the community. He suggested a “public call to up our canned foods for the food pantry.”
“It is a worry so we are preparing for it,” Demosky said.
