Athens City Council passes resolution against the proposed Wayne National Forest fracking plans and a candidate for the Ohio House speaks out against Airbnb legislation.
New developments have come up in light of potential fracking and drilling plans for Wayne National Forest.
Athens City Council passed a resolution requesting Wayne National Forest reconsider releasing any land to the Bureau of Land Management.
Councilwoman Michele Papai, D-3rd Ward, who introduced the legislation, said the plans would be dangerous for the City of Athens’ aquifers located in the Hocking Valley.
Councilwoman Jennifer Cochran, D-At Large, also spoke for the resolution, stating the sitting council must factor in the significant effects releasing this land would have on communities in Athens.
In 2012, a similar resolution was passed with the additional request of an environmental impact study.
Councilman Steve Patterson, D-At Large, recalled the study was never completed.
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“I had to check with the clerk of council to find out if there was any correspondence that we received at the state level, and, to the best of her recollection, we didn’t,” Patterson said.
During the portion of council reserved for citizens to speak, Abe Alassaf, a candidate for the Ohio House’s 94th district, voiced his concern about potential legislation that would affect citizens in Athens that offer their homes for Airbnb patrons.
“The new red tape that city government is proposing or talking about enforcing is just another example of city government is overzealously taxing and controlling everything within (its) reach,” Alassaf said.
Alassaf said Airbnb, a travel website, is part of the “sharing economy of the 21st century.”
He also referenced last week’s conversation in which Service-Safety Director Paula Horan-Moseley stated she was interested in banning “hoverboards”or the new personal transportation devices seen in Athens and around Ohio University’s campus.
“Maybe when Service-Safety Director (Horan-Moseley) was in high school, it may have been Back to the Future, but we’re in the 21st century and we need to be forward thinking,” Alassaf said.
Based on conversation brought up at last week’s city council committee meeting by Athens City Human Resources Director Jennifer Galbraith, a change in the Athens Police Department’s age limitation may be in the near future.
Councilman Jeff Risner, D-2nd Ward, said they are hoping to raise the age limit for entering the force to from 35 to 40-years-old.
He said city officials should able to consider officers who have a great amount of past experience.
Risner added that raising the age limitation would help streamline the training process, as older officers would be able to forego it.
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