Athens and Ohio University officials are stressing safety with extra police officers and increased communication at this year's Palmerfest.
About 100 police officers will be on duty Saturday and about 50 will be on Palmer Street with three officers per house number. Two officers also will patrol at local liquor carryouts, said Athens Police Chief Richard Mayer.
Mayor Ric Abel said there would be a significant police presence with all 30 Athens officers on duty, plus additional officers from surrounding areas. There will be 16 additional mounted officers this weekend, bringing the total to 20.
Officers will come from areas like Logan, Lancaster, Gallipolis and Nelsonville, Mayer said.
The OU Police Department will contribute nine officers, but the number of officers on duty will depend on the time of day and crowd influx, said OUPD Chief Tony Camechis.
In addition, OU administrators will be on Palmer Street in green T-shirts or jackets. Associate Dean of Students Patricia McSteen said administrators will encourage safety and responsibility, not enforce rules.
Athens City Council gave an additional $15,000 to help pay the extra officers $30 an hour plus mileage. Palmerfest usually costs the city $15,000 to $20,000, Abel said.
OU will provide as much as $25,000 for expenses related to Palmerfest, said Michael Sostarich, vice president for Student Affairs. The university will reimburse the city for police pay and other supplies for the weekend.
Abel said the city will spend more this year than ever before on Palmerfest.
The past few years it is more and more uncontrolled
he said citing a high number of outside visitors and arrests.
City officials expect enough people at Palmerfest to eliminate parking on Palmer and Mill streets from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday, he said.
There have been meetings with residents of Palmer Street and communication of rules to all students, which will be the same as every weekend. Residents are being asked to control their parties and limit the number of guests, Abel said.
Don't invite the world he said.
Residents also were informed about the nuisance party law, which will be in effect like any normal weekend until 7 a.m., Abel said.
Mayer said a safe weekend cannot occur without the help of the party heads because the police will not be acting as bouncers.
Many residents will have lists of allowed guests or wristbands, if the individual house requires them. The police also have asked each house to designate one person to communicate with police officers if there are any problems.
OU junior and Palmer Street resident Angie Soder said she is not going to have a list or wristbands because she has a small house that will be easier to monitor.
I wish they wouldn't make such a big deal over wristbands or lists she said. Every year rumors go around campus and people get paranoid
but it's not a big deal.
She said the city did a good job preparing all of the residents.
The police have been really nice
Soder said. I think as long as we respect them
they'll let us have fun.
But OU senior Yvonne Niese, who also lives on Palmer Street, said she wanted to talk more with city council, and not just police, because city council made the laws residents must follow. She also thought there would be too many cops and that the city is making too much of Palmerfest.
We're paying to live here
we should be able to have a party
Niese said.
-Janet Nester and Kevin Ziegler contributed to this story.
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