Athens residents won’t have to worry about getting their water shut off in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
Citing concerns about closed bars and restaurants and lost jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, City Council members said at their Monday night meeting that residents’ water won’t be shut off due to late bills.
City Council also addressed concerns from community members about possible evictions after the closing of bars and restaurants in Ohio.
“I’ve had several constituents call me concerned about evictions during this time … and so I think that’s a logical and legitimate place to look at, especially with the closing of the dorms and all the other things that are going on,” Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward, said.
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson urged Ohio University students to put Athens as their residence on their 2020 Census form even though in-person classes are not currently in session.
“The majority of your time is spent here at Ohio University regardless of classes now being taught with distance instruction. The amount of time that you have spent here in Athens still qualifies you to be enumerated here in Athens,” Patterson said.
Patterson also informed City Council that the Athens Community Center will be closed after 9 p.m. Monday. This closing is preceded by the closing of the preschool and the senior center.
Council also received the annual report from the Athens Fire Department, which stated that the fire department responded to over 1000 calls in 2019. Of those, 552 were false alarms.
