City of Athens, Ohio Mayors Press Conference 2022, 6 Apr 2022

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From YouTube: Mayor's Press Conference - April 6, 2022

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Mayor's Press Conference - April 6, 2022

A

The update with the mayor and kyle johansen, um you know this is going to be one of those weeks, everybody where again up and down you think you're going to migrate into warmer weather, and then it drops out and and kyle. I think you've got some interesting information about what you're gonna. What we could expect this this weekend in particular saturday, uh but uh kyle I'll. Let you be the big disclosure on what's gonna happen over the next seven days here in the city of athens.

B

So today we've got puritan rain. The rain will be heavy at times late, chance of rain. 100 percent tonight rain early, decreasing clouds overnight chance of rain 100 percent.

B

Tomorrow, probably cloudy high of 62 below 34. friday afternoon showers, high of 50 low 34 saturday morning, rain snow mixed in mostly cloudy in the afternoon high 45 low 31 sunday, probably cloudy high 51 low 31 monday, probably cloudy high of 69 low 51 to say, 73, low, 53, cloudy and next wednesday. Before morning, showers high of 73 low 56.

B

in cold location, ohio, we are actually in our after cases, count our western 100. This is the first time we've seen less than 100 active cover cases since last summer, before the delta variant search took place in the summer, so we're actually making some good progress that there's now a new variant called xc, which is not to be on warm yet because this is kind of like the bag which to be a2 is actually the domestic united states.

B

But not many cases have been reported yet in the united states yet which is making some real progress, because the united states is still leading the lead in the vaccinations of fully vaccinated, and particularly the the second bushes shot that 50 and up can get the bushes shop. But since you got your push, your first push shot, you don't have to probably don't have to get yet to the fault. Since you still got your antibiotics left from your first booster shot, which is some good sign. Eventually, the united states population avoid vaccinate.

B

It's roughly about the 67 mark. Sorry about three percent mark left to go till. We reach the hurt humidity mortgage, we're actually in the endemic mode, which is a good sign about this getting signed. So we are making some good progress now and the kids are coming down united states stressfully coming down globally, so fast, like globally.

B

Now cases are roughly averaging about 1.4 to 1.5 million cases per day compared to like over three million back in january, when the peak of the omicron variant surge took place, so we are entering the better place than we did. Two years ago, or this time last year, so we are making some very good progress and roughly the pendant should be roughly over sooner than rather than later, because the monster hunting the coronavirus, paul pandemic itself could be the united states as we get into the memoir all day holiday weekend.

B

Time frame, which is roughly about less than eight weeks away, are coming up so fast and we've got sports coming up this week and we got baseball or the dollar dog nate on friday, 5 p.m and saturday they're a special honor game on saturday at the stadium to honor, frank search, the most mac east win football coach in history, 16 wins especially eight ball games.

B

So let's honor, frank's ocean they're, not giving out freak, swags and stuff free hot dogs, ice cream and cone eyes will be all be there and sunday we got their turn: gold, baseball game, barbara and same 1pm. The honor bryan went strong, and then we got softball next for friday, 3 p.m and all fans are accused to attend the spring volleyball game against marshall at the cabo next friday, 7 p.m, no tickets, just going! It's free, don't need tickets kind of like the spring. It's going to be like this saturday.

B

We got, we got softball next sorry double header. Then we got a couple more double header baseball softball. Then we got roughly about two more muffs till actually less than two months till the copperhead season comes in town.

A

Copperheads copperheads are coming, and you just mentioned: free hot dogs and and ice cream, and some mr kona ice got to go down and get your free, hot dog and kona ice and celebrate with frank.

B

A

Yeah frank, I still remember when frank solich arrived here and on the back of some of the the I think it was classic brands, delivery trucks that said got solace in replace of got milk, so it was kind of interesting reflecting back on when frank first came to ohio, university and the city of athens- and you know to your point about the vaccine.

A

You know the the for those who are 50, h50, plus and yep. I fall in that category.

A

I just got my my second booster at uh roughly one o'clock today, um so it was easy, went down to the athens city, county health department and they hooked me right up and got me my second booster of moderna so hopefully knock on wood and I'm ready to roll, um but it certainly felt good. It was the the the best uh least painful shot. I've ever received to get that taken. Care of um scott and ryan have queued up some things.

A

I think these are interesting things that people need to consider when we are getting ready to to have a big event at the athens community center in reference to potential. uh Well, it's it's all. Based upon a levy that is on the ballot and early voting is taking place as we speak for the new fire station and safety equipment.

A

What you're looking at is the current response times throughout the city's footprint for the fire department out of station two, which is the red dot on the lower part of the map and station the headquarters station, that is on columbus road, which is the upper red dot. And what you see is response times between zero and two minutes is everything in green?

A

Yellow is two to four orange is four to six and red is six to eight minutes, and so, if you look a lot or look out, you know out east state street in particular, but the near north um in the north side response times are in that four to eight minute realm um and so on and so forth. But that's the current map, as we see it um on the next map that has been put together by the city planner. We see the union street loc potential location and not a whole lot of improvement.

A

If anything, we see a little bit slower response time on the northern portion of the city, but it doesn't really benefit the the more populated neighborhoods that was a west union out near. um I believe it was near oblena's hospital kenny drive, which is a property. The city owns out on 56 behind southeast ohio beverage and the new ems station.

A

Again, especially for the north side, things become in terms of response times slower for our more heavily populated areas in the city, and then columbus road was a site that a number of individuals had said hey what about putting something out there?

A

It yet again becomes a little bit worse in terms of the response time, certainly not the optimal location, and then I think the last slide that we have is the map of having the headquarters off of stimson avenue, and one of the things you'll notice is that response times in a lot of the areas has significantly improved, in particular on the north side of the city, but with station 2 remaining to be functional, it's capturing a lot of the response time that currently exists.

A

So not a lot of change there, so some real dramatic changes in response times for getting our ems or our fire safety services out to where they need to be to quickly extinguish a potential fire within our city.

A

So there'll be more on this in terms of response times, as well as the fire station headquarters design. That will be this wednesday april 13th from 4 30 to 7 p.m. At the community center, where they're going to be showing the designs and provide input on the designs, and you can provide input as well to the design teams, as well as to city staff and the fire chief and some of uh his staff.

A

That will be at that meeting as well spring cleanup week, um we're in it uh or soon to be in it um april 18th through the 22nd is that week and there's going to be a lot going on during the week among which this is a biggie. During that week, you can at no extra charge put out all of the bags of trash that you care to have hauled away.

A

The we just ask that you take it out to the curb on the day that you normally have your rough use and recycling picked up and you will not be charged extra now. If you've got large items that you're going to be put out, you will be charged by the cubic yard and that is 15.75 cents per cubic yard that, because that constitutes constitutes a special haul.

A

So keep that in mind um and if you do have a special hall make sure you reach out to the code office at or at the engineering and public works department or other at 592-3340 three, and they will come and pick that up for you. There's gonna be dumpsters, also available, that'll be down at the service garage at 387, west state street.

A

This for scrap metal and trash construction debris is not accepted at those you are going to have to show, I believe proof of residency, so photo id and a copy of your utility bill, and you can throw the things that you want to discard in that dumpster. That's available monday, through friday, from 7 30 to 3 30 pm 7 30 a to 3 30 p.m.

A

We I might as well just transition to this um there's uh since I'm on that topic. Basically, the athens hawking recycling center.

A

They have some more information on the 2022 recycling day and hazardous waste drop-off day. If you have any questions, you can always contact the athens hawking solid waste district at five or seven sorry, seven, five 6885 again, that's 753-6885.

A

You can go to the website at ahswd.org.

A

And check things out, but they're recycling days there looks like they've got several dates here at the athens county fairgrounds, I'm just going to touch on those because they're also up in the hawking fairgrounds hugging county fairgrounds, that's going to be may 14th and october 1 at the fairgrounds.

A

They will also have mobile recycling and cleanup days. These are going to be again elsewhere, as you can see on that flyer, a number of different locations throughout the county, lodi township garage, good hope, township garage, hawking college, perry township. So this is a number of different locations throughout the solid waste district which again is athens and hawking.

A

So it covers quite a bit of ground items that are acceptable for free free is always good household goods, clothing, fabrics, material furniture, gentle gently used book cds, dvds, gently used, I'm always curious as to what the definition of gently used is, but whatever appliances, small household appliances, e-waste, computers and so on so forth, scrap metal tools and building materials. Batteries, medical supplies, gently used. What is a gently used? Medical supply?

A

No um no prescription, meds, uh single stream, recyclables, mattress and box springs things that are accepted, but for a fee you can see on that flyer flat screen, tvs, tube tvs, fluorescent bulbs, compact bulbs tires with out rims tires with rims refrigerators, air conditioning and dehumidifiers.

A

I'm looking on here to see. If there are the non-acceptable there, it is there's the non-acceptable items. These are the ones I think are the most pertinent, because you know I would certainly hate to haul a bunch of stuff down somewhere and then only to realize I can't get rid of them and they would be. You can see it right there in front of you ammunition asbestos, uh cpu's explosives boy that wouldn't be good uh hand, grenades helium! You can't get rid of oxygen.

A

You know you can see it there's all kinds of different things that are non-acceptable items, so you know take advantage of this. This household hazardous waste drop-off it's going to be july, 23rd from 9 00, am to 1 pm.

A

This is going to be at hawking college if I'm reading this correctly um scott and ryan over in nelsonville, so all kinds of stuff for you to consider when you're getting rid of things. So that's spring cleanup some dates that uh this is going to be a really busy weekend and I think, we're certainly heading into the busy event seasons with ohio university things going on, but other things across the city, some upcoming special events. Oh you take back the night that is going to be tomorrow evening, so check that out.

A

I believe they may be marshalling up down on the college green somewhere, uh but I'm sure you can certainly find it. If you go to ohio university or just google or athens take back the night. That's an ou event! Oh you moms weekend is this weekend, so there's going to be a large influx of moms coming into athens between the 8th and the 10th ou international street festival.

A

This we're going rolling into international week at ou, but the street fest is this weekend, that'll be on east union between court and basically college terrace or university terrace. Rather, most of the events will be on the street or in howard square.

A

Then there's also the sandlot opening day. That too is taking place saturday morning. The parade will begin at approximately 11 and run until everyone has gotten through the parade route. The parade route is going to be from morris avenue up onto east state street and then taking a right on to carpenter, a left onto court street and then a right again on to west union, and then it will be disbanding on west union in the vicinity of congress, and then they will continue to head down to the west state street ball fields.

A

So that's going on the international street fest parade is taking place saturday morning at 10 a.m, or thereabouts. Actually, I have those backwards. The sandlot parade will be at 10, am the international street fest parade will be right. Around 11, 00 am and that parade route is very short, it'll, be from baker center, basically up court street and then it'll be taking a right onto east union and disbanding it'll, mostly be people on foot with flags in their hands. That'll be terminating at howard square, again: sandlot 10 a.m.

A

Saturday morning weather permitting and the uh international street fest parade will be at 11 a.m as well. So that's what's going on the athens marathon is going to be on the 10th, so keep that in mind, that'll be an early morning event and race, for a reason, is also going on that'll, be on the 23rd of april. So keep that in mind for things that are happening. Some other things going on meeting wise here in the city of athens.

A

The sustainability commission is going to be meeting today at six from six to seven that will be in council chambers, where we are sitting now. Planning commission will also be taking place here, it'll be tomorrow at noon, from noon to 1 30..

A

um All both of those are open to the public city council, of course, open to the public that'll be taking place monday april 11th at 7, 00 pm and the athens board of zoning appeals will be tuesday april 12th at 7 pm and that'll, be in council chambers, all things, council chambers.

A

You know I got a call earlier this week from jeff greenfield, who is the owner of the third sun solar one of our beloved companies here in the city of athens, and they have just been purchased by cacosan, which is a major construction company here in the united states.

A

One of the largest third sun will continue to be here in athens. uh The name will change to third sun cocosin solar, so that's happening. um You know this is pretty exciting with that level of expansion, so you'll see a new name when you're out and about and it'll be third sun cocosin solar.

A

The other thing just to update people on is that you know hawking valley bank will be closing a couple of its branches downsizing a little bit but retaining their employees to where the east state street branch will be closing, as will the richland avenue branch, the state, the court street branch and the stimson avenue branch will of course be open and open to the public, but they are going through some transitions uh likely as they're just seeing more and more online banking, you know and a decrease in traffic at some other, their satellite branches here in the city of athens.

A

The last thing I want to share this is pretty cool. um I, when I moved here to athens, the former berry hotel, which had been ravaged by a fire, was already gone. It didn't exist, but we have a local artist doing his thesis.

A

His mfa thesis exhibit, and I wanted to share with everyone. This is brian costco who's doing an exhibit.

A

It will begin on friday april 15th, so this friday, I don't know if you can zoom in any tighter on that or not, if not that's, okay but they're, going to start with an event from noon until 2 p.m. On the 15th, and this will be at armory park and showing off some of the work associated with it and then there's also an after party at the union from 7 p.m. Until who knows when?

A

But this is really kind of a great project in in the it's called the invisible ground, colon the berry hotel.

A

So uh if you're out and about I'm certainly gonna check, that out uh should be interesting to see, but that's pretty much a wrap for everything that we've got in store for us or that you have in store for you. So thanks for joining us again for the weekly update with the mayor and kyle johansen, and please join us again next week for.