Athens City Council members will hear a presentation about sustainability and the environment in the city at their meeting on Monday night.
Council President Chris Knisely said the presentation would be given by Athens City Planner Paul Logue and other members of the city’s Environment and Sustainability Commission.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Knisely said. “It looks at a variety of different issues like energy, the economy, waste and recycling.”
Council members have been working toward more environmentally-friendly options for the city in the past year. In 2016, council members appropriated funds for new, larger recycling carts for the city.
Councilman Kent Butler, D-1st ward, said at the time the new carts were a “step in the right direction.”
Council members will also consider improvements to East State Street, which Knisely said could potentially include new exit ramps onto Route 33 and bike lanes.
“That’s on the intersections between home street, where the Bob Evans is, on out to Lowe’s on East State,” Knisely said. “It’s looking at the lanes and setting up some bike lanes and sidewalks, and new access lanes to the highway.”
In 2016, council members reviewed plans to build a connector between Home Street and East Park Drive to ease traffic on East State Street. Some residents argued the connector would threaten green space near the library and disrupt bikeway users.
At the meeting in October, councilwoman Jennifer Cochran, D-At Large, said she would be open to exploring other traffic-reducing options on East State Street, which is what council is considering doing now.
“What I would support is further safety measures on State Street and further traffic-calming measures to slow folks down,” Cochran said.
