ATHENS, Ohio — At Athens City Council’s meeting on Monday, Mayor Steve Patterson elaborated on his March 31 decision to immediately resign from the board of the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia — and to remove the city from the council of governments effective June 28.
The mayor cited differences with ORCA and its executive director about how to generate revenue to sustain the organization’s 88 miles of mountain biking in the Baileys Trail System.
Patterson said that when ORCA formed in 2019, the plan was to sustain the 88 miles of trail over time using a Pay for Success model. That model would involve impact investing from different entities to maintain and sustain the trails.
“Well, as time went on, we never really got there with the impact investing, but we were contributors,” he said.
In an email to the Independent, City Auditor Kathy Hecht said the city has paid ORCA just under $300,000 since 2021. That includes three annual payments of $90,000 each, plus $24,673 in 2024 and $1,000 in 2025. Those contributions came from the city’s transient guest tax, which generates around $230,000 annually, Patterson said.
More recently, Patterson said he had differed with ORCA and its executive director, Jessie Powers, about how to generate revenue moving forward.
Patterson said he favored investing available funding in projects such as short-term cabin rentals near the mountain biking trails. Patterson told the Independent that strategic differences with ORCA revolved around “resistance to really take advantage of some revenue generating facilities” that would make the trail system sustainable over time. Part of the $1.5 million ORCA received in the 2025 biennial budget has gone to operating costs.
Powers previously told the Independent that ORCA was not opposed to investigating the viability of short-term rentals, but that it needed more time to analyze whether that possibility “was a viable sustainability solution for ORCA.”
Athens’ departure from ORCA leaves the council of governments with only three members: the villages of Buchtel and Chauncey and York Township. Athens County, also a founding member, opted out of ORCA membership about two years ago, citing budget considerations.
Patterson said the city should focus on outdoor recreation within Athens, such as the Hocking River, and potential improvements to Sells Park. He added that rock climbing and/or bouldering, as well as ziplining, have potential — possibly through a partnership with Athens County.
The lone council member to comment Monday on Patterson’s decision was Alan Swank, 4th Ward. Swank, as well as fellow council member Jessica Thomas, said they were unaware of Patterson’s unilateral decision to extract the city from ORCA membership before it happened.
Swank said that Powers sent the council a “comprehensive” update on Friday, April 3 — just days after Patterson’s announcement.
“First of all, the best part of it is, the Baileys Trail System is complete — 88 miles,” Swank said. He added that Powers’ email indicated that she would be willing to appear before the council and address the Baileys and its future.
Like Patterson, Swank also emphasized the city’s financial contributions to ORCA and the Baileys Trail System. A vibrant Baileys Trail System will provide a positive economic impact to all of Athens County, Swank said, including food and beverage revenue and increases in the county’s transient occupancy tax.
“We’ll remind the public that about $300,000 from the city of Athens was put forward to help in financing this project over the years,” Swank said.
In her April 3 email to council, Powers said, “ORCA staff have advanced a diversified revenue strategy built around three streams: earned income, public sector grants and state of Ohio alignment, and private sector partnerships. A formal strategic planning process will be conducted with the firm Quantified Ventures and will include analysis of short-term rental and other earned income opportunities.”
That email thread included ORCA’s legal counsel Sky Pettey’s opinion that Athens City Council needed to vote to remove the city from the council of governments.
City Law Director Lisa Eliason replied with her opinion Tuesday, according to emails she exchanged with Pettey. She cited Ordinance 0-42-19, which states that “The Mayor may decide to withdraw from the COG at his discretion.”
Asked Tuesday if he would have liked to know about Patterson’s decision to remove the city from ORCA membership before it happened, Swank responded that it was an administrative decision made under the mayor’s authority.
Swank added that separation of powers is an important part of city government to delineate the executive, administrative side of city operations from council decision making on the legislative side.
Third readings
Athens City Council adopted the following ordinances unanimously upon third reading:
- Ordinance 9-26 authorizes the service-safety director to spend up to $250,000 in advertising, accepting bids and entering into a contract to construct new water mains and lines in the North Hill area. Amounts of $125,000 each will be expended from the water maintenance fund and the water fund plant accounts.
- Ordinance 0-19-26 accepts a petition for annexation of about 1.2 acres on Theatre Lane from White Family Athens Property, LLC, thereby annexing the land from Athens County. Hugh White Honda is already engaged in site preparation to construct a new Honda Motors building, where the former WATH/WXTQ building used to be. The city previously adopted an ordinance assuming all maintenance obligations for Theatre Lane.
- Ordinance 0-21-26 rezones about 3.5 acres on Dairy Lane from an educational, E1, zone to a high-density residential, R-3, zone. As previously reported, the 317 Board intends to construct up to 15 affordable housing units located near the Adam-Amanda Mental Health Rehabilitation Center.
Ordinance 28-26 grants a special right-of-way use permit at 32 W. Carpenter St. so that Mount Zion Baptist Church can place an elevator vestibule in the city’s right-of-way along North Congress Street.
First readings
Ordinances were under first readings before council Monday included:
- Ordinance 0-29-26, which would convey a city-owned parcel at the southwest corner of Hudson Avenue so that Community Building Partners, LLC, can use the property to build eight pre-fabricated homes, classified as affordable housing, part of the Welcome Home Ohio Program. Community Partners is also in the process of acquiring property owned by the American Red Cross. The property being received by Community Partners consists of a storage building for seasonal equipment, along with a parking lot behind a fence. Other property on site includes police impound property. A new facility on Kenny Drive will house the city property.
- Ordinance 0-30-06, which would authorize the mayor to enter into another one-year contract agreement with Sunday Creek Horizons for consulting services, as well as project management, at a cost of $10,000 per month, the same amount as last year.
- Ordinance 0-31-26, the annual temporary street closures ordinance for uptown fairs and festivals, which kicks off with the International Street Fair this Saturday, April 11, starting at 11 a.m. and concludes with the Halloween Block Party on Oct. 31. One event added is the International King Midget Cruise-in on Aug. 7.
- Ordinance 0-32-26, which would authorize the city to enter into an agreement with the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council to place an unspecified number of electric vehicle charging stations at the city parking garage, Athens Fire Department headquarters on Stimson Avenue, and near the Athens Armory at 1 Armory St. The EV stations are made possible through a grant SOPEC received from the U.S. Department of Transportation Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program.
- Ordinance 0-36-26, which would create an Athens Multipurpose Pavilion Fund 908, in order to accept grants and donations for the forthcoming Athens Multipurpose Pavilion that will house the Athens Farmers Market behind the Athens Community Center.
Other business
In other business, the council re-appointed Randy Gonzalez and James Kaufman to The Ridges New Community Authority; appointed Ric Wasserman to the Rental Inspection Processes Subcommittee, of the Affordable Housing Commission; confirmed Mollie Fitzgerald as the mayor’s appointment to the Board of Zoning Appeals; and appointed Amish Hasan Askri to the Historic Preservation Commission.
The city also received an introduction during citizen comments from Mary Nally, SOPEC’s new Southeast Ohio Regional Liaison. She said AEP’s energy rates are going to increase; and that SOPEC has saved its members, such as Athens, more than $40 million on energy costs since June of 2021.
Athens City Council’s next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, April 13 at 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.
Keri Johnson contributed to this reporting.
