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Athens council approves $5.08 million for Kenny Drive public safety training facility, accepts $200,000 ODOT grant
Summary
Athens City Council voted June 17 to authorize up to $5,081,000 for a public safety training facility on Kenny Drive and to accept a $200,000 reimbursement grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation; council members and staff said the funding will not directly increase water or sewer bills.
The Athens City Council voted June 17 to authorize up to $5,081,000 for the construction and related work on a public safety training facility on Kenny Drive and to accept a $200,000 reimbursement grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation for extension of Kenny Drive, council members said.
Council member Thomas, who introduced the ordinances, said the city received $2,500,000 in 2024 state capital funding and has secured $200,000 from ODOT that will be reimbursed to the street fund when the project is complete. "This just does exactly what the title says, and this is for the $200,000, coming from ODOT as part of this project," Thomas said during the meeting.
The council amended prior ordinances to set final project spending authority at up to $5,081,000, with a funding plan Thomas read into the record: $2,500,000 from safety services, $1,000,000 from the street fund, $800,000 from the water fund, $400,000 from the sewer fund and $381,000 from the storm sewer fund. Thomas moved to adopt the ordinance; the motion passed by voice vote.
A resident who identified himself as Michael asked whether the project would increase water bills. A staff member answered, "There's there's no effect with with water bills for this." Mayor Toms also read a written comment from resident Joan Krananski asking that the ordinance be tabled and that funding be acquired from sources other than water, sewer and storm funds; in her statement Krananski asked why monthly water and sewer bills appear to be increasing and said residents had not had sufficient opportunity for input.
Mayor Toms said the road-work estimate came in significantly under prior estimates, and he asked staff to bring forward any substantial change orders as they occur so the council could review them rather than encountering surprises at project close.
Council members voted to adopt the ordinances by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting minutes.
The project will extend Kenny Drive onto Elliottsville Road and include storage buildings and yard usage to relocate city laydown yards displaced by the planned Athens Public Transit Facility, council and staff said. The ordinances state the ODOT grant is a reimbursement grant to be submitted after project completion.
