There are exact physical borders between the city of Athens and state-run Ohio University, but much more goes on between the two across this boundary than meets the eye.
Unwritten agreements allow city and university workers and officials to work together through a pseudo-bartering system, said Ray Hazlett, Athens assistant service-safety director.
For example, the university would contribute money to city projects in exchange for the city agreeing to close streets when necessary for university construction.
More often than not, the city of Athens is benefiting from a neighboring state institution with a large bank account, and the university benefits from a city that has practical maintenance equipment and utility structure.
The sole agreement, the Mutual Assistance Agreement, defines the terms and conditions by which the university and city exchange police services. Approved about every four years, the agreement allows the university and city to request additional police aid in times of need.
This pact exists to specify what each department can do and is really the only interaction that lends itself to an official agreement, said John Burns, OU director of legal affairs.
But while this agreement is fairly structured, unwritten cooperation is more fluid and relies on an honor system.
Most agreements fall under transactional agreements
in which the university and city exchange property, services or labor, Burns said.
When street work is needed on campus, for example, university officials can contact city workers to help, as OU might not have the necessary equipment, Hazlett said.
And because there are no written agreements on how these exchanges take place, there is no uniform way they are done.
During OU's renovation of Bentley Hall and construction of Bentley Hall Annex, university officials approached the city about closing Mulberry Street for use as a construction staging area, Athens mayor Ric Abel said. The city agreed to close the street, knowing the university would return the favor.
The university in return helped finance the replacement of streetlights and traffic signals as part of the Court Street renovation project, he said.
If we're doing projects near the university but not necessarily on the university's property if we get help - it's usually financial Abel said. The city helps out more with non-monetary aid.
Most cooperation comes between levels below those of mayor and president, he said. More often than not, university workers and city workers are interacting with each other on daily projects or unexpected occurrences.
A weekly meeting between OU director of facilities planning John Kotowski and members of the city's service safety department is the forum for bigger, longer-term projects such as land exchanges, street closings and commercial development.
When Athens needed extra land on East State Street, the university offered a deal. In exchange for extra land to allow Wal-Mart, which sits on university-owned land at 929 E. State St., to extend their parking lot at the East end of the street, the university would allow Athens to use university land on the West end near the U.S. Route 33 overpass to extend the right of way. Through land easements, both parties got what they needed.
Sometimes, the city or university can make a decision or plan that does not quite fit in with the other's. When this happens, Hazlett said, the university usually wins out.
If the university goes ahead with a development plan, for example, city officials might not be completely aware if it is on campus or other land owned by the university. City officials find out final plans when they are announced, and this leaves little time for the city to react, he said.
We just have to deal with it
Hazlett said. They have a lot more latitude because they're a state institution.
Conversely, OU administrators say they do try to fit city guidelines and consider city opinions when planning development.
But, Kotowski said, OU does not always have to look out for Athens.
We're a state institution. We have a state-wide mission
he said. We attempt to do what is best for the university. Our mission is broader than the city's mission.
The two missions converge, however, when it comes to public safety.
The Mutual Assistance Agreement allows the mayor, service-safety director, university president, VP for administration and campus safety director to request police assistance from the opposite department. University police can arrest someone on city property and vice-versa.
The structure of the police agreement and fluidity of unwritten agreements allow both parties to work with relative ease.
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Benjamin Roode
