Athens city officials entertained qualms and queries from about 20 local residents –– including Ohio University staff members –– Tuesday night at the Athens Community Center.
The Athens town hall meeting yielded concerns about public safety as well as a discussion of OU’s Housing Development Plan.
Multiple residents addressed the lack of citywide handicapped accessibility.
The uneven terrain of sidewalks and curbs make it hard for handicapped people to maneuver throughout the city, said Carolyn Lewis, OU journalism professor, who added that the lack of handicapped awareness reflects poorly on the city.
“Be aware that it’s really not easy (to cross streets) and it’s not really inviting when people come to Athens,” Lewis said. “We want to make it a model place for mobility for visitors and those of us who live here.”
Though curb alignments should be considered, improving handicapped accessibility extends to enforcing handicapped parking laws, said Robin Brigante, member of the Athens commission on disability.
One way of improving handicapped accessibility in Athens would be to combine the city and OU commissions on disability, said Councilman Steve Patterson, D, at-large.
“I’m very keen on supporting all the initiatives of making equal access an important issue,” Patterson said. “I would like to push forward the possibility of a memorandum of understanding between OU’s efforts and the city’s efforts to improve accessibility, similar to the (Joint Police Advisory Council).”
Though the city’s efforts to improve handicapped accessibility remain to be seen, Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said that APD is currently working to establish a citywide neighborhood watch program.
“We are very much interested in getting a (neighborhood watch program) going,” he said. “I’ve only received three or four names from each neighborhood association. Twenty people citywide will not make an effective neighborhood watch. We need 20 percent.”
OU Vice President of Student Affairs Ryan Lombardi also gave a presentation on the OU Housing Development Plan, adding that the city and university have worked together on the project.
“(The city) has been part of the conversation since ground zero and will continue to do so,” Lombardi said. “We have had a really good partnership.”
A followup town hall meeting will take place in June, in which city officials are expected to propose solutions to concerns from Tuesday night.
sh335311@ohiou.edu
