ATHENS, Ohio — A special right-of-way use permit for construction of an elevator vestibule is on its way for approval by Athens City Council after first reading of Ordinance 28-26 Monday night.
However, the ordinance prompted concern from council member Michael Wood, 1st Ward. Wood said the vestibule’s placement, on the North Congress Street-facing side of the Mount Zion Black Cultural Center, at 32 W. Carpenter St., will contribute to a traffic “snarl,” using the word several times in discussing the project.
Wood said it would have been much better to place the vestibule on the front side of the building that faces West Carpenter Street. He emphasized his support for the center overall.
“That Congress section has been a total snarl,” Wood said. “I live right up the street so I go down it all the time,” Wood said. “I’ve had three near-accidents — one actual, where I crashed my bike and almost got hit by a car. And other people have talked about it too. It’s just snarled.”
Wood added that the project may involve cultural center visitors deciding to trek up the hill to find parking, which will take them to nearby narrow streets, such as Fort Street.
However, council member Alan Swank, 4th Ward, who introduced the ordinance, said the drop-off area for persons with disabilities who need wheelchairs will be on North Congress Street, similar to the drop-off for the First Methodist Church at 2 College St.
Council member Jessica Thomas, At Large, noted that the drop-off location for Mount Zion was approved last year. The elevator shaft is set for location and cannot be moved, she said. The vestibule is needed because North Congress Street faces west, where winds, rain, wind and other weather require elevator protection.
Swank said the project is a first of its kind for the city, as it allows the vestibule to extend 6.2 feet onto the Congress Street sidewalk right-of-way, at a length of 6 feet, 10 inches, while still providing 41 inches of room for wheelchair for passage without interference.
Though Mayor Steve Patterson had expressed concern during a previous meeting about creating a precedent for a building to extend into the right of way, Swank said the two of them had met and concluded that this special use involves an Americans with Disabilities Act-related exception. Patterson was not at Monday’s meeting.
Wood said the proposed vestibule “compounds” traffic, “by taking a bad spot and making it worse.”
Council member Paul Isherwood, At Large, said “I think this is the case of not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good,” adding that traffic issues can be addressed at a later time.
Service-Safety Director Andy Stone said he does not remember the city ever allowing a portion of a building to be constructed within a right-of-way.
Susan Righi, representing Mount Zion, said she can ask that construction signs near the Congress/Carpenter intersection be moved to aid visibility. She also said the issue has been raised of allowing for curb ramps and a longer drop-off area to accommodate vans with rear wheelchair lifts.
Employee, spouse seek medical insurance oversight, accountability
The spouse of a city employee delivered a report to the council Monday, alleging that delays in working with the city’s medical insurance administrator has caused him permanent physical damage.
The city of Athens self-insures its health benefits program, which is administered by Employee Benefits Service Center, based in Charleston, West Virginia, under contract with the city. The current contract is up for renewal in December.
Grayson Schultz has lived in Athens since 2021 and has been married the past 10 years to Matt Seifert, an Athens Municipal Court reporter. Schultz said the city needs to significantly improve its vendor oversight with performance metrics before the contract is re-approved.
Schultz told the council that he has a rare autoinflammatory condition with a 20% risk of a fatal complication if uncontrolled. He said many of his treatments involve injections to avoid inflammation.
“Treatment is not optional,” he said. “It prevents permanent damage and death.”
Schultz said that when he joined the city’s health insurance plan in 2023, he was informed that his treatments “were essentially not covered.”
“I was directed to rely on manufacturer assistance, but only after EBSC delayed this decision and conversation for four months,” Schultz said. “I went without medication for a disease that can be fatal.”
When manufacturer assistance ended in 2024, Schultz said he worked with the city’s human resources department to secure medical coverage. But 2025 was “a year from hell,” Schultz said.
“Approvals were issued, then reversed,” Schultz said. “My provider, the Specialty Pharmacy, and even TrueScripts could not consistently reach EBSC. As my rheumatologist put it in her notes on July 11: ‘This is a documentation of the fact this company is obstructionist and unethical. This company has made it almost impossible for him to get the FDA-approved medication for this disease.”
Schultz said he spent more than 80 hours on calls coordinating with vendors, while working full-time and managing active disease.
Because of the delays, Schultz said, he did not receive treatment until May 9, 2025. But he continued to experience problems in accessing care that stalled his treatment again until October 2025.
Then Schultz learned at 3 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2025, that two of three FDA-approved treatments for his autoinflammatory condition would be excluded from his coverage, effective Jan. 1. He said he was pushed back onto a medication that had already lost “efficacy.”
“The result is permanent damage,” Schultz said. “In December, imaging showed new spinal damage consistent with prolonged, uncontrolled inflammation. I went from hiking in Acadia in 2024 to purchasing a wheelchair in early 2026, due to unpredictable mobility.”
Schultz said he and his spouse are not seeking legal action against the city and/or its third-party insurance administrator, EBSC. They just want the city to engage in a performance review of EBSC before considering another approved vendor agreement this year.
“This isn’t about blame — it’s about oversight,” Schultz wrote. “Council approves the vendor, so Council should review how that vendor is performing.”
Schultz said other city employees have experienced delays in care because of EBSC’s prolonged decision-making.
In other matters Monday, the council:
- Suspended the rules and adopted Ordinance 16-26 related to temporary street closures for Uptown events. The first event is the International Street Fair on April 11. Other events among more than a dozen listed include the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, aka DORA, opening event May 16; Boogie on the Bricks on June 13; Ohio Brew Week First Call on July 10 and Last Call on July 18; the Athens Community Arts & Music Festival on Aug. 1; and the Halloween Block Party on Oct. 31. Related ordinances, also adopted, allow for temporary suspension of unnecessary noise and street peddling to accommodate events.
- Heard second reading of Ordinance 09-26 to authorize the service-safety director to advertise for bids and enter into contract for the North Hill Water Project #393. The project is meant to address water line breaks on North Hill and Columbia Avenue. Work will involve some replacement of lines and pump systems. The project’s $250,000 cost is to be split evenly between the water maintenance and plant funds.
- Heard second reading of Ordinance 10-26 to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Athens Township for the city to take over Theatre Lane maintenance. Two related ordinances on first reading involved the city accepting a petition to annex just over 1 acre on Theatre Lane. Hugh White Honda will use the property to expand its car sales business.
- Heard second reading of Ordinance 12-26, which would create a retirement incentive program, giving qualifying longtime employees $30,000 if they retire by May 31, and notify the city by April 15.
- Heard first reading of Ordinance 21-26, which would rezone about 3.5 acres on Dairy Lane from educational to R-3, high-density residential zone. The county’s 317 Board has $2 million in funding with plans to construct 15 affordable housing units that would provide housing and a community room for 317 Board clients. The council heard a brief update on the project from 317 Board attorney David Mott.
Athens City Council’s next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, March 16, 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. The March 9 meeting has been canceled.
