In its second regular session since the July recess, the Athens City Council discussed new Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA, regulations and changes to the housing and traffic code in hopes of increasing safety measures and business opportunities in the city.
In an ordinance proposed by his committee, with recommendations from its planning commission, Council member and Planning and Development Commission Chair Alan Swank said the zoning changes to traffic and subdivisions will bring the Athens Municipal Code in compliance with the Ohio Revised Code.
“They are all really connected to safety issues both for all of us, as well as for people operating emergency vehicles that need to obviously move rapidly through the town and be distinguished from others flashing light (like) people who choose to have different lights on their car et cetera,” Council President Sam Crowl said.
The council did not vote on the ordinance during the session, but it is open for public comment. Similarly, the council declined to vote on an ordinance to suspend the rules of uptown’s DORA.
The ordinance would have amended previous DORA ordinances by extending hours during the summer and special weekends like Homecoming and allowing the council to declare it an emergency.
“(The city) is proposing this change to DORA in order to, hopefully, relieve some of the pressure on our local taverns due to the overcrowding issue that happens on these very busy weekends,” Crowl said. “If DORA is open and somebody can have their DORA beverage on the sidewalk, it is thought that there will be less people crowding inside of the bar.”
Crowl noted some discussion about street closures and providing sources of entertainment that would also draw people out of these establishments, which is where the city often has fire code violations or overcrowding that could end up in a serious emergency.
Despite Crowl’s enthusiasm, Swank and Councilmember At-Large Jessica Thomas said the proposal presents safety concerns for the city’s center.
“(This ordinance) now makes (streets and sidewalks) impassable for most other people,” Thomas said. “If it wasn't safe to have Halloween on a closed street, it's not safe to have a closed Homecoming street. What sort of city resources and extra policing are we going to now need for the entire day of Saturday?”
Crowl accepted these questions but suggested, with amendments, that the ordinance could support local businesses in Athens’ uptown area. The council is expected to hear a revised version later this month.
Lastly, the council discussed plans to acquire ownership of the Carport-Mounted Solar Array at the Community Center, which the city had previously tried to purchase. According to Crowl, Service-Safety Director Andy Stone purchased the array for about two-thirds of the asking price.
He said the money might come from the mayor's office but believes they can spare $200,000 from the 580 Capital fund, which would be the majority, for the project. They expect about $37,000 for repairs and upgrades but hope to see a return on investment for this energy infrastructure.
“There is a possibility of adding some things that might support the farmers market, so we believe that we could have a pretty large power production increase for, in director Stone’s words, ‘not a lot of money,’” Crowl said.
