Mayor Steve Patterson expressed concern to Athens City Council as move-out approaches for Ohio University students living off-campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patterson said most leases end May 10th for students and there will be an increased number of students in Athens around the time of the predicted peak for COVID-19.
“Make sure that you have all the food stocks and other necessities that you might need early in the last week of April,” Patterson said. “I would strongly encourage people to stay home even more so … and only go out for the bare necessities that you have to have.”
Patterson has been in communication with city officials from other college towns across Ohio to gauge their preparedness for off-campus move out.
“I’ve also been talking with my counterparts across the state, the city manager of Oxford, the mayor of Bowling Green as well as the mayor of Kent … interestingly they hadn’t been planning or it just wasn’t something that occurred to them,” he said.
Council also discussed adding composting services to the current solid waste contract.
Bids for the contract were opened in March and Athens Hocking Recycling and Refuse was the lowest bidder. The cost of the contract will be about $1.5 million with an option to provide composting for about $139,000 more.
Councilman Sam Crowl, D-3rd Ward, said adding composting would help Athens adhere to its sustainability plan.
