Athens council approves demolition of Shoney's building, development amendment, utility contracts and park payment

The Athens City Council on March 24 approved a series of resolutions covering code enforcement, development changes, utility equipment purchases, construction payments and vehicle purchases.

Key votes included authorization to demolish a structure at 1402 U.S. Highway 72 — referred to in the meeting as the Shoney's building — and permit the city to perform the demolition with city forces or contract third parties for costs not to exceed $30,000. The council also approved a major amendment to the Henderson Estates master development plan to add three lots and a 15-foot transitional buffer behind specified lots.

Other capital and contract approvals recorded on the consent and regular calendars included:

- A final corrective change order of $71,951.50 to Vortex Services LLC for pipe bursting and sanitary-sewer rehabilitation.

- Acceptance of a low bid of $3,377,410 from Virginia Transformer Corporation for substation power transformers for Athens Utility (funded from the city's 2022 warrant fund, per the resolution).

- Payment of $446,419.09 to Athens Utilities for construction costs at Sunrise Park Phase 1, to be paid from 2024 GO warrant funds.

- Approval to purchase one 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe (police) at a cost not to exceed $60,504 and five 2025 police-interceptor SUVs at a cost not to exceed $236,945, both from the police department's existing capital expenditure accounts.

- Authorization for the city engineer to apply for an ALDOT permit to construct a median crossover and associated turn lanes on U.S. Highway 72 to serve the commercial development called French Mill, and a related agreement to grade and landscape the French Mill area. The landscaping work will require removal of 44 trees at a cost of $61,601 to be paid from the capital infrastructure fund, according to the resolution.

The council also adopted a revised organizational chart for the Information Technology Department to add one additional System Support Specialist.

All listed resolutions were approved by roll call votes recorded as three ayes, zero nays (council members recorded in the roll calls were Mr. Wales, Mr. Harper and Mr. Lucas). Several items required suspension of the rules before passage; the meeting record identifies rule-suspension roll calls preceding those votes.

The resolutions cite specific funding sources where noted: the transformer purchase from the 2022 warrant fund, the Sunrise Park payment from 2024 GO warrant funds, and the French Mill landscaping from the capital infrastructure fund. The Henderson Estates amendment followed a Planning Commission recommendation to approve; the record notes a neighbor had sent a letter opposing changes but the Planning Commission and staff recommended approval.

No contested roll-call outcomes were recorded on these items; each resolution passed by recorded unanimous vote of council members present.