Seventy-five-year-old Margaret Topping is tired of her friends leaving town because there are no suitable retirement centers in Athens.
We have friends who leave every year; it's just sad
she said. They love this town and they want to stay.
Topping and her friends might just get their wish. Through the advocacy of her group, Continuing Care Retirement Community for Athens, a site has been chosen, and the issue is working its way through the planning commission. If Athens City Council approves the project, building could be underway by summer.
But there's a catch: The proposed site, Ohio University property between Stimson Avenue and the Hocking River, is controversial. Residents on the east side of Athens are concerned about the erosion of open green space and the prospect of a retirement center so close to a flood-prone river.
David Ingram, an OU physics professor, heads the Near Eastside Neighborhood Association. NENA has not taken an official stance, but Ingram personally disapproves of the site.
It's much more desirable as a green space he said. If you imagine what would happen in the middle of a flood
there may be 200 people that need to
