Athens transit will see changes to its busing and parking as City Council voted to purchase a used bus, repair an old one and reclassify two parking lots at last night's meeting.
The current buses do not meet safety standards and cost the city $12,000 annually to maintain, Mayor Ric Abel said. The ordinance passed last night called for $40,000 to buy a used bus and for $25,000 to combine parts from two old buses to create a backup.
To pay for the buses, the city will increase the University Courtyard contract to $10,000. Council suspended rules last night to pass the ordinance, which was in its first reading.
Council also set aside an additional $4,000 to buy bike racks for the fronts of buses. However, it will continue to discuss the rack's convenience.
Council also decided to change parking lots 15 and 17 on E. Washington Street from metered to monthly rented parking.
The city leases the parking lots from the First Presbyterian Church, on the corner of E. Washington and Court streets, for $36,050 a year. The city has meters in the lots and also uses the parking lots for city vehicles.
This change will make 35 spots available for $85 a month in the uptown lots, which are near the already-full parking garage.
This change will allow the city to keep up with the 3 percent lease increase brought by the church.
In other council news, the city of Athens owes $67,000 for gas bought from Ohio University in the summer of 2006. However the bill was only sent to the city a few days ago.
Council also approved an ordinance to make home and business owners pick up trash in their yards, sidewalks and 18 inches into the street.
Councilwoman Deborah Philips was initially against the ordinance citing that it would make homeowners and business owners with real estate near convenient stores work harder to keep their property clean.
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Don Jason
City plans to make buses safer and convert parking meters to monthly spots
