City of Athens, Ohio Mayor's Press Conference 2023, 23 Aug 2023

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From YouTube: Mayor's Press Conference - August 23, 2023

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Mayor's Press Conference - August 23, 2023

A

Thank you good afternoon welcome once again to the weekly update with Kyle Johansen and me the mayor.

A

um You know I want to kind of start in a little bit different way, because there was a lengthy, interesting communication at City Council on Monday evening, and it had to do with the announcement from the U.S forest usda's forest Service Forest Service, uh proposing to change the Wayne National forest's name from the Wayne to something other than, and the fact that the forest service has been working on this for approximately a year engaging with different indigenous tribes throughout the state and Beyond and came up with the their leading Choice was Buckeye National Forest a couple.

A

Others that came up was Ohio, National, Forest and kitawa National Forest, which is a word from one of the indigenous tribes of Ohio referencing fire to some degree. Anyway.

A

um The forest service is still looking for suggested inputs or suggested your opinion on those three names and just having a communication with the way National Forest earlier today, apparently there's a number of people who are saying that hey, maybe it should be called Papa National Forest, which I find is rather clever and likely part of the Ohio indigenous people's diet. It is the State natural fruit and it's been here for ever, and so why not so I share that with everyone and that I think it.

A

We do still have a period of time in which we can submit our opinions, any ideas as to what the name could be to R the letter, r, nine, the number nine underscore Wayne underscore website at usda.gov and uh let the the U.S forest Service and the leadership at the Wayne National Forest, know what your opinion is on the renaming of that um that has nothing to do with the weather Kyle.

A

But you know I wanted to get that out of the way right up front, because I I have my own strong opinion about the naming or renaming of the Wayne National Forest.

A

um But uh maybe you have an opinion on what it should be called Kyle should Bobcat National Forest. Oh there you go instead of Buckeye, we can name it. The Bobcat National Forest I, like that um yeah Maybe Kyle. Let us know what the weather is. Then tomorrow is going to be speaking of katawa, meaning referencing fire in some way it's gonna be hot.

B

1007 107 index Kyle I didn't want to hear that all right, so we got excessive. Hey watch from noon to 9pm tomorrow as live. Fretting key index is about to hit our area, which this past weekend, obviously snuck away like 134 degrees and somewhere in Kansas, because all the corn that was out there because usually corn, actually makes it feel hotter than corn, which is sweat into the air. That's why it makes it more humid.

B

So today we got Sunny to probably cloudy hot type: 89. tonight's Sky showers and storms, Gusty winds and smell. How are possible both 70 tomorrow morning, clouds followed by afternoon sun hot high in 94. low 74 heat index between 105 210 degrees Friday. We got probably cloudy high 81.91 low 65 Saturday mornings, storms high of 87, well, 61.

B

Sunday, mostly sunny high of 82, well 59, Monday, probably quality high of 83 0.62 next Tuesday's, the ice away, storms, Hive, 84, low 59 and next one. So we got partly cloudy skies high of 77 low 55., the sports. The football team starts their first game of the season week, zero game, one in San Diego at least the weather is nice compared to have this past weekend.

B

There's a lot of mudslice debris was flooding and, of course, there was snow that was falling in the mouths of California thanks to Hurricane, Hillary and I actually had not one, but we had two H name storms, the first time ever in history, to make landfall in the United States Hillary on the Pacific side in Harrow on the Gulf of Mexico Texas coast side.

B

And after that we got the first home football game. Next, Saturday kickoff time was scheduled to be a tube, but he moved to tune in because of the travel to Long Island University, which is in New York. It's about 12 hour bus ride back out there and since the third year that one God had a football season in the team so far, and they also got soccer, got moved tomorrow from four to one because of the Heat and then they're home again during labor day and basketball season tickets are all on sale.

B

We got the non-conference and the MAC Conference season schedules have both been announced for men's and women's already all.

A

Right and if I heard you correctly, tomorrow's soccer game has.

B

Moved because of the.

A

East has moved from 4 P.M.

B

A

To 11 A.M, so that's important because of the heat, those who want to watch the soccer. You know yeah I I, don't disagree with that plan. You know to make.

B

Sure the person would be safe in.

A

A reasonable time, yeah and.

B

Also, while the high school games had changed their kickoff times because of the law, schools are getting out early on Friday tomorrow and Friday because of the heat as well. All.

A

Right Kyle, thank you. um There's a number of things that are going on in the city. You know to start with something I just read in the E news minutes ago and that being that our iconic obedience restaurant um celebrates its 20 years of success here in the city I.

A

Remember when oh Betty's, what used to be the Redbud was a little restaurant and- and uh you know, I- think that Scott, you may remember it being other things even before that um yeah, it has been other things, I'm sure uh yeah, but I remember eating at Red Bud back in the day when I first moved to Athens and really enjoyed it and then oh Betty's, when I was managing and playing on the Tony's co-rec softball team.

A

Oh Betty's was our stop after every single game and I'd get the Tempest there, which I still thoroughly enjoy so just want to recognize. Oh Betty's, 20 years, it's hard to believe that it has been 20 years that they have been around another thing. I want to mention really quick. That was also in the news is that OU's welcome week starts tomorrow and runs through September 2nd. A couple interesting things: they're going to do an uptown Tuesday, which will provide students with the opportunity to experience our amazing uptown area.

A

I got an email over the weekend or a text from a citizen here in the city. Commenting on how beautiful the Uptown area looked with their flowers, which are getting larger by the day hanging from our lamp posts. It does. It does look attractive. It's looking really nice and you know I, don't know about you. Kyle I know that I have certainly noticed a rather large uptick in people on.

B

Campus off campus off the campus.

A

And on campus, a lot of moms and dads are going to be here this weekend as move in progresses off campus and on campus move-in, which is underway, so they they they're, going to be Uptown on Tuesday, which will be wonderful and at some point during the welcome week, they're also going to have a firework display that can be viewed down at paw print Park, which is down by the front four in Nelson area, yeah, it's right down by Nelson Nelson area, Nelson Commons, so just FYI, a number of different things that are going on that are interesting.

A

uh Stimson Avenue water line extension I noticed that first thing this morning, coming in um on stimpson Avenue, going around the roundabout and Stimson was closed as Crews were working on putting in a new water line extension in that area, which will be servicing the new Fire Station headquarters, but also setting ourselves up for potential further growth with the bridge renovation, which will be a 2025 2026 project with the renovation of the Stimson Avenue Bridge. So it's kind of taking the opportunities to put in this extension.

A

So that's going to be going on it started this week. There will be flaggers down there. They may have to periodically close the street as their equipment is moving through that area, but uh this is projected to be completed by September. It doesn't have a date in September, but just September. Let's hope it's on the front end of September the street Improvement schedule. This is an update on our Paving, with McKee, Paving and Sealing.

A

The streets that we're going to see this week are Forest Street, Highland, Avenue, Jones, Wood Drive, as well as Short Street, Strouds, Run, Road, Longview, Heights, Hooper, Street and Nottingham Drive, so kind of a a little bit of work all over the place. You know: Highland Jones, wood, Short, Street, Strouds, Run, Road or primarily in the North Northwest Quadrant of the city, whereas Longview Hooper and Nottingham are on the south side. It's in our our neck of the woods, Kyle yep it is so this is going to be going on.

A

They have been working for a while now on on making doing a lot of milling and repaving, so they're they're hard at it. Getting that done. This year,.

A

The Athens Municipal Arts commission has just extended the deadline for the Athens sculpture walk. This is where the city is allocating seven thousand five hundred dollars for each selected artist and their sculpture work to go in this new Sculpture Park, which will be located next to the fire station headquarters. This will be a really cool feature, I believe. So, uh if you're interested, you can submit your entry two, you know what just go to the city's website and you'll see a call for entry, Athens, sculpture, walk and it'll be right.

A

There they've extended the deadline to September 15th, so you still have time if you are a sculpture, artist and interested in having your sculpture featured in the new sculpture, art, medical supplies and equipment. This is in a collection event that is put on by rural action, and there you see the details Saturday September 9th, so we've got a little bit of time, but just want to get this out early 10 a.m, to 2 p.m.

A

At the community center to drop off some of the items that they have listed wheelchairs, Walkers crutches, CPAP machines, so on and so forth. So if you have these items- and you have no longer- you no longer need them- have no further use for them. Consider dropping them off and Rural action will do the rest they're, not taking medical waste, no medications and no rusted equipment, probably not good. For someone to be using a rusty pair of crutches or wheelchair, the fall. Youth dance classes is at Arts. West registration is now open, dance with me.

A

um This is excuse me ages, one through three. The cost is thirty thousand or thirty thousand dollars. That would be huge, no, the cost for thirty dollars. um For that class. This will be October 18th through November 15th, on Wednesdays, from five to five thirty at Arts West, and then they also have creative movement.

A

That'll be October 16th through of the 18th rather through October 15th, and that is from 5 30 to 6 p.m. For two to four-year-olds same cost, thirty dollars per child and I. Don't know if you have multiple kids, maybe they'll give you a discount, uh don't hold me to that, but maybe uh other than that Kyle as we brace ourselves for our own heat Dome tomorrow. uh Thank goodness, it's short-lived and we're short having to live with the crazy weather that or Southwest.

B

A

The hurricane: that's right, you know a crazy. You know major downpours in areas that don't they're not equipped to manage in August, yeah and or any time of the year. You know, I lived in Tucson Arizona and the streets were set designed to where during the monsoon season, as they called it.

A

That's right, but we're talking about places that that got so little precept that they don't design those they don't have storm systems. Why would they um and unfortunately, leading to the.

B

A

That we're seeing impact their areas. You know the only meeting that I have to announce is Monday night, the 28th of this month, 7 P.M here in council chambers. It will be committee night for City Council. So if and just as a reminder, City Council meetings are open meetings uh and they are open to the public.

A

So we you know, if you're looking for something to help you sleep at night, come join me um as we watch city council go through and do the business they're important meetings, they're, not uh they aren't boring, actually there's a lot of very valuable information that comes out of the city council meeting. So so please join us as the government Channel with Ryan schwartzoff and Scott Thompson, who always do an amazing job with their Bevy of interns.

A

Do you have any current interns right now, Scott or you'll be coming back soon, yeah, which they're the the learned or the um experiential learning that our interns um engage in have I would say you know done well for them. I know we have a lot of students who have are interns that have gone on to work for wtpa over in Parkersburg Marietta, and uh there you go WSAZ, they go all over the place, you know and they they do very well and we keep up with a number of them. I run into them.

A

Often so Scott and Ryan keep doing the great work that you guys do other than that. Okay, four years plus now, four years in a week, four years in one week, thanks for joining me Kyle and thanks for watching us as we talk about the weekly updates here with Kyle Johansson and the mayor, take care.