A local development company has offered to donate a portion of an about 66-acre plot of land to the city of Athens and the Athens County Sheriff's Office with the stipulation that the city install a sewer line on the property.
John Lavelle, attorney for ABR Properties LLC, the company that owns the property, said he decided to donate the land on Harmony Road off U.S. Route 50 because he knew the city plans to build a new fire department and the sheriff plans to relocate. He added that a sewer line would allow developers to build more on the property.
It's a win-win situation from our standpoint because we believe it would help get those facilities started
he said.
The property is appraised at $183,590, according to the Athens County Auditor's website.
Lavelle sent a letter to the mayor, city fire chief, Athens County Commissioners and sheriff's office asking for a preliminary response about the property by June 1.
Mayor Paul Wiehl said the deadline poses a problem for the city, because he will not be able to thoroughly discuss the plans with City Council before then. Still, he said it is unlikely the city will build a new fire station to replace the Columbus Road station.
That's not the best place to put a fire station because the location is too far east and south Wiehl said.
Sheriff Pat Kelly, who was not available for comment, has been exploring options for moving his office, including a site near U.S. Route 33 outside the Athens city limits, but the Ohio Attorney General ruled last week that Kelly cannot move outside of the county's seat of justice, according to previous articles in The Post.
If Kelly were to move to ABR's property along Harmony Road, part of the land would have to be annexed into the city, Lavelle said.
If it's important for the sheriff to be in the city of Athens if it's important to the fire department
it could be easily annexed because (part of the property) is already in the city
he said.
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Gail Burkhardt
