Resident urges repairs to mayoral monument and reprioritized street paving; proposes downtown 'Hospitality Square'

Thomas Scrivens, a resident of 725 Lexington Avenue, told the Xenia City Council during public comment that letters on the traffic circle at East Church Street bearing Mayor James Henry’s name have been vandalized or worn away and urged the council to ensure the monument is maintained.

“Some of those letters either have been vandal or have been, taken away by the weather,” Scrivens said, asking the council to repair the signage and preserve the mayor’s memorial.

Scrivens also pressed the council to amend the city’s five-year street pavement plan to remove at least a couple of streets and add North Patton Street, which he said needs immediate attention. He noted the presence of a “45,000,000 gallon installation” near the area while arguing for the reprioritization.

“We have a 5 year plan, and I’d like to see at least a couple of streets on the 5 year plan deleted and amended and putting in North Patton Street,” Scrivens said.

He thanked the city manager and staff for improvements to the council chamber’s audio system, saying the new microphones allow the public to hear proceedings without guessing. He also urged the council not to overlook Cincinnati Avenue between 2nd and 3rd streets, calling the block a “stepchild” that requires prompt work.

During his remarks Scrivens announced the death of a classmate, Jim “Soapy” Miller, and recalled that Miller was inducted into the Xenia Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023 and served as a physician in the U.S. Army. Scrivens closed by urging the council to consider naming a planned downtown development “Hospitality Square,” invoking well-known public squares as inspiration.

The remarks recorded in these segments were made during the public-comment portion; the transcript does not record a formal council response or vote on any of Scrivens’s requests in this excerpt.