ATHENS, Ohio — At a Monday, May 19 meeting of Athens City Council, member Alan Swank, 4th Ward, apologized for referring to a proposed Columbus Road project for pedestrians and bicyclists as a “path to nowhere.”
Swank joined the rest of the council in approving an ordinance authorizing Service-Safety Director Andy Stone to put the project out to bid and award a construction contract for the $1.38 million project. Stone said the project had to be approved by Monday, June 30, so the measure was adopted on an emergency basis.
The Ohio Department of Transportation will contribute just over $1 million to the project. Meanwhile, the city will contribute $350,000 through its street fund — $160,000 of which had already been approved for engineering and design work.
At the Monday, May 19 meeting of the Transportation Committee, Swank called the project “a path to nowhere” and said he had spoken with business owners who considered the shared-use path “a tremendous waste of money.”
“In fact, they went so far as to say this is one of the reasons the (city) income tax went down, because the city continues to spend money on needless projects,” Swank said on Monday, May 12, referring to the city income tax levy’s defeat on the Tuesday, May 6 citywide ballot.
Asked after Monday’s meeting which businesses referred to the Columbus Road shared-use path project as a “tremendous waste of money,” Swank declined to provide names.
“You’d have to go ask them,” he said. “I invited them to come to speak.”
At Monday night’s meeting, Swank said his comments sparked responses on social media, with some saying “stick to your guns” and others decrying his “dismissive attitude toward some parts of the city and county.”
“I understand that everywhere is somewhere, and in no way did I mean to denigrate where someone is from or someone lives,” he said. “In retrospect, and having watched the video from last Monday night’s meeting, I can understand how someone might have thought that. And for that, I apologize.”
Council member Beth Clodfelter, At-Large, lauded Swank’s remarks.
“I think that was gracious of member Swank to offer his apology and I’m sure people appreciated it,” Clodfelter said.
Swank said that since the Columbus Road project already had state funding, to turn away from it would be “very bad form.”
“What the whole discussion has revealed is the need to review the whole grant application process going forward,” he said
The city often takes up discussions in committees after grants have been secured, he said.
While Clodfelter and council member Micah McCarey, At-Large, commended the administration for its ability to attract outside funding sources, council member Jessica Thomas, At-Large, said it would benefit the council to have discussions about grants during the process of approving them.
Member Solveig Spjeldnes, 1st Ward, said she looks closely at how projects fit into the Athens 2040 Comprehensive Plan, while being careful not to create situations where it may appear that the council “is telling the administration what to do.”
Stone said the city’s 2009 Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan identified ways to improve pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure on Columbus Road. Improvements made since then include widened shoulders; removal of a four-lane section of road and replacement with a wide median; and a bike lane on the “climbing portion” of the hill going into Athens. The road was connected to the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway in 2013, he added.
Community weighs in on path project
Others who spoke Monday in favor of the Columbus Road project said they support it because they see a serious need to enhance safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.
“Columbus Road is no longer a highway, but with its double-yellow stripe and lack of curbs, drivers still treat it as one,” said Stephanie Hunter, a member of the city’s Pedestrian Accessibility and Bicycle Task Force. “This is not a safe place to walk, roll, bike, or push a stroller, and yet that is what people are doing along Columbus Road every day.”
Columbus Road may not seem like a residential area, Hunter said, but the 2020 Census found that 462 people live in neighborhoods adjoining Columbus Road. The shared-use path will be an important way for many residents to access the nearest store, clinic, transit stop, and all of Athens, she said.
“The current condition of Columbus Road is great for cars – but terrible for pedestrians,” Hunter said.
The posted speeds on Columbus Road are 35 mph and 45 mph in different sections, with higher risks at higher speeds, Hunter explained.
Hunter said the shared-use path will also enhance safety by reducing potential crimes against pedestrians. In a 2022 Pedestrian Accessibility Survey using a Pedestrian Quality Metric, “Space,” a female respondent stated that in walking to work along Columbus Road, she had been “repeatedly harassed, yelled at, and intimidated while walking,” Hunter shared.
“I have had a truck move over to the side of the road, past the white line where I was walking because there was no sidewalk, and speed up toward me as I walked,” the woman stated. “I have had men refuse to take ‘no’ for an answer when trying to give me a ride and then came on to me once in their car. I feel embarrassed and scared to walk in this neighborhood.”
Walking along Columbus Road during winter months is even more dangerous, the survey respondent stated, adding she had experienced “trauma as the result of the failure of our sidewalk system.”
“Let me tell you,” Hunter said, “I stopped in my tracks when I found that (respondent comment).”
Hocking Athens Perry Community Action Program is in favor of the project, said HAPCAP Mobility Coordinator Ben Ziff.
“People push baby carriages and strollers down this road,” Ziff said. “This very week, I saw a couple, each pushing a baby stroller down Columbus Road, exactly where this shared-use path is supposed to be. The danger and harm that we are currently forcing [on] people is entirely unacceptable. It is a disservice to our citizenry, and a disgrace to this city that I love so very much.”
The Athens City-County Health Department signaled its support via a letter from Meredith Erlewine, coordinator of the department’s Creating Healthy Communities initiative.
“It would be a shame to shelve this project and turn away significant matching funds that would enhance our city,” Erlewine wrote. “It would also send the message that Athens cares most about people who can afford to or choose to use cars.”
Erlewine referred to a serious accident in 2018, when a bicyclist was struck by a motorist next to a billboard sign for then then-new Goodwill building on Columbus Road. The bicyclist was propelled into a ditch, sustained a concussion and other injuries, and was flown to Columbus for treatment.
Hill Tide Partners renews rezoning request
On Monday, the council heard first reading of an ordinance to rezone just over 5 acres located at 111 Hooper Street from R-1 (single-family) and R-2 (1-to-2 family) to R-3, multifamily housing.
Hill Tide Partners of South Carolina wants to develop 18 acres with an affordable housing project of up to 80 units using Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
The developer was not present Monday, but Swank noted that the planning commission recommended the rezoning on Wednesday, April 2. The project would be located on parcels across the road from Monticello Village Apartments.
A public hearing for the proposed rezoning will be held during the council’s regularly scheduled Monday, June 2 meeting.
Athens resident Diana Marvel told the council Monday night that she was unaware of the “massive development we are discussing” when she bought property near the proposed project a few weeks ago.
“I just found out about this potential project this evening,” Marvel said.
Marvel said she moved into what she thought was a rural area within Athens that was zoned for single-family residences. She said she did so believing she could find the peace and relative quiet that came with her desire “to establish myself here in Athens.”
“This development would irrevocably change our lives and our homes and our neighborhood,” she said, while asking the council to fully consider the impact approving such a large housing project would have on all Hooper Street residents.
Ordinances passed on third reading
Ordinances adopted upon third readings included:
- Ordinance 0-52-25authorizing 2025 street paving. The ordinance included a separate addendum distributed via email that altered streets set for paving this year. TThe ordinance gives the go-ahead for the city to advertise for bids and award a contract for the paving. Streets to be paved are: portions of Columbus and Mulligan roads, and Longview Heights; Armory, Church, Mill and Shafer streets, and Terrace Drive. Alternate streets include Lloyd, Mary, Rardin and portions of Brown. The $700,000 paving price tag is financed with $400,000 from the state highway fund, and $300,000 from the street fund.
- Ordinance 0-53-25which authorizes the city auditor to reduce 2025 year-end appropriations “where anticipated receipts are not adequate, and, when combined with the carry-forward balance, not sufficient to approve the full appropriation of funds.” City Auditor Kathy Hecht said at a previous meeting that she expects to complete her analysis of appropriations and revenue for the mid-year period by June.
- Ordinance 0-54-25which will transfer $500,000 from the special revenue fund to the Athens Community Improvement Corporation for some of the final improvements to the Athens Armory project. Work is being completed by Pepper Construction. The newly remodeled building is expected to open by August.
LPA Local-Let Agreements
The council Monday also held first reading on several Local Public Agency Local-Let Agreements. The federal match on the projects averages out to approximately 80% federally funded and passed through ODOT, with 20% in local matches from the city.
These projects include the SR 682/56 roundabout project scheduled to start this summer; Stimson Avenue bridge rehabilitation; the Columbus Road shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists; Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps throughout the city; and East State Street traffic signal improvements.
Athens City Council’s next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 27, due to Memorial Day, in Athens City Hall, Council Chambers, third floor, 8 E. Washington St. Meetings are also streamed online. Regular sessions are on the first and third Mondays of the month; committee meetings are on the second and fourth Mondays.
