Further discussion of the proposal to renovate a portion of East Union Street known as Jeff Hill will not be seen again on the Athens City Council agenda for some time.
Discussion began last week mainly because it is believed that the city needs to improve utility lines on the hill.
Carol Patterson, D-2nd ward, said that further legal discussions and, possibly, surveying is to be done before any further council readings will take place on this topic.
Two years ago, Jeff Hill suffered water-main breaks, rendering it unusable to traffic. At that time, the estimated costs for repairs were at least $250,000.
Patterson worked in McCracken Hall, at the bottom of Jeff Hill, and experienced the problems firsthand when the water-main breaks occurred. She said, either the city or the university needs to do it
emphasizing that something needs to be done to improve Jeff Hill.
John Kotowski, director of facilities planning at Ohio University, requested that the city give up its ownership of the area from Jeff Hill to Stewart Street at the April 28 City Council meeting.
Responsible for the planning of this improvement, Kotowski said the plan is to upgrade the hill to make it a pedestrian walkway.
The university would work in conjunction with the city to design the hill in a way to make the water and sewage lines easily accessible. The earliest the construction would start is spring 2006, with most of the funding coming from state capital improvement money for the university.
Mayor Ric Abel supported the proposed change of ownership, stating, We really don't need it from the city's standpoint.
Paul Wiehl, D-1st ward, said it is a larger area than just Jeff Hill that the university wants to take over. The plans do not clearly explain what the administration is planning to do with the section of East Union Street at the bottom of the hill.
It's kind of vague to just give it to (the university) he said.
Wiehl proposed that they lease the land to the university to improve, that way the city would not entirely lose the land.
Jeff Hill was open to vehicle traffic before the breakage but since has been closed to it. Andy Stone, City of Athens street department director, says it doesn't hinder traffic.
The road mainly serves the university and is unneeded for the city
he said.
Stone also mentioned that the city would like to recover the bricks from the hill if it is renovated, possibly using them in other places in Athens.
The bricks are somewhat sought after because they are fairly unique
he said. They are shaped to provide traction for horses, making them hard to find.
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Plans are underway to convert Jeff Hill, which has been closed to vehicular traffic since 2002, into a pedestrian walkway similar to Morton Hill.
