Athens City Council members reviewed proposals that would create a preservation board for the city as well as a plan to continue paying off environmental improvements made at the Athens Community Center.
An ordinance to create the Athens Historic Preservation Board was introduced at Monday’s meeting. The board would make recommendations to council members and city employees on historical preservation efforts.
The addition of a historical preservation board would also allow Athens to become a certified city, which would open new grant and funding opportunities for city projects, said Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward.
Councilman Steve Patterson, D-at large, was one of many excited council members pleased to see progress on the creation of the board.
“I’m really glad to see this moving forward,” Patterson said, “This is a great move in the right direction in preserving the history of this great city.”
Fahl said she hopes local historians and architects will join the board to help recommend possible preservation efforts.
Council members also passed an ordinance that will help the city pay off environmental improvements on the Athens Community Center.
The city initially borrowed $350,000 to make the center’s light and exhaust system more environmentally friendly. The changes were made in the last two years, said Councilwoman Chris Knisely, D-at large.
The city still owes $200,000 for the improvements, she added.
Knisely said that she hopes the Athens Community Center improvements will create more efforts to make other buildings in Athens “more green.”
“This is part of a larger plan to try to take care of our buildings,” she said. “We have a lot of different buildings so any kind of measures that we can take to increase our energy efficiency is a help.”
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