ATHENS, Ohio — A pilot program in Uptown Athens for up to three Conestoga huts that would provide temporary shelter to unhoused persons, a project put forward by the Gathering Place, drew mostly positive comments from the public at Athens City Council’s Monday night meeting.
The huts, set for location in a gated parking lot next to the Gathering Place, 7 N. Congress St., would offer 60 square-feet of space, insulation, a window and a lockable door. Occupants would vacate the huts during the day, check in at night and have access to a sink and toilet.
Proponents speaking before Athens City Council’s Planning & Development Committee cited the dire need for housing to help those with substance abuse and mental health issues who are in treatment and attempting to better their lives.
Planning and development Committee members shared positive comments as well.
Member Jessica Thomas, At-Large, said the Gathering Place has been in business close to 50 years and has a good reputation.
Unhoused people are “part of the fabric of the Uptown,” Thomas said. “The homeless people are not causing any more problems than the average person, and probably less.”
Committee member Solveig Spjeldnes, 1st Ward, who taught social work at Ohio University, said her students studied topics related to homelessness, including how the Gathering Place works. She called the Conestoga huts a move in the right direction to alleviate housing needs amongst those who need temporary shelter.
“I am so proud of a city that cares so much for everybody in the city,” Spjeldnes said.
Committee member Michael Wood, 3rd Ward, said he supports the Housing First approach towards combatting homelessness, which seeks to meet people’s basic necessities before tending to other issues.
Committee Chair Alan Swank, 4th Ward, said a public hearing will be held in October to give the community more opportunity to weigh in on what the Gathering Place calls the “Conestoga Hut Communities Pilot Project,” so named for the wheeled huts’ resemblance to historic Conestoga wagons.
But opponents of the Conestoga huts pilot project raised concerns and objections.
Kennedy Masterson, an OU student, wrote a letter emailed to the council alongside seven women housemates, who reside in a house near Congress and Washington streets. They voiced opposition to the project, citing safety and security concerns.
“For many of us, even the perception of risk can create constant anxiety,” Masterson wrote, her letter read aloud by Swank. “Having to consider safety with every step — whether walking home from class, heading to a late-night study session, or simply meeting friends Uptown — adds an extra layer of stress to an already demanding college experience.”
However, OU student Megan Benjamin, an intern at the Gathering Place, said providing housing to people who lack shelter increases the safety of the community overall.
Providing temporary housing leads to better health of those who need it, and opens up opportunities for people to find work and support themselves, Benjamin said. She handed out a two-page info sheet on the project.
“I’d like to speak as a female student and say that I feel safer and more welcome by the individuals at the Gathering Place than I have around many of my peers,” Benjamin said.
Kent Lankas, who resides at Mike’s Bridge House at 34 W. Washington St. next to the Gathering Place, said both programs are known for sending those served in a positive direction. Mike’s Bridge House is a licensed Level II male sober living facility operated by the Gathering Place.
Lankas, who described himself as an OU alumnus and the 1997 Alexander High School Valedictorian, said that for him, treatment and recovery has resulted in employment and becoming a peer recovery specialist.
“Just like we need to provide books to our children, we need to provide shelter to our community members,” Lankas said. “It seems like a no-brainer. This is Athens. This is what we do. So, let’s do it together.”
Craig Hellbusch, a paramedic at Athens County Emergency Medical Services in Athens, spoke in favor of the Conestoga huts to alleviate homelessness. As someone whose paramedic runs often involves unhoused persons, Hellbusch offered, “The reality of the situation is that if you are homeless, you are more likely to be the victim of a crime than a perpetrator.”
Kris Cornwell, whose family owned a prominent jewelry business at 77 N. Court St., voiced concern over whether North Congress Street is an appropriate location for the huts. She said people using the huts should feel like the huts are their homes, and suggested that if people set up chairs around the huts it might create a “campground-feel.”
Ari Faber, acting executive director of United Campus Ministry Center, said launching the Conestoga huts pilot program with three huts is a “modest, well-designed” way to start out. “This is a cautious, accountable approach,” he said.
Jack Stauffer, an Elmwood Place resident, said he feared the Conestoga huts pilot project could be the start of allowing city-sanctioned homeless encampments in Athens. He said he’s concerned that three huts would multiply until Athens risks becoming “a smaller version of Portland or Seattle.”
Rob Delach, a member of the Athens Pedestrian Accessibility and Bicycle Task Force, said concerns about unhoused people in Athens are overblown and offered strong support for the project. “We need to start someplace, and this is where we need to start,” he said.
In his introduction of the topic, Swank noted that the project would be reviewed every two years, and could have its use revoked by the city service-safety director for safety or sanitation concerns.
The Gathering Place handed out a two-page flier about the Conestoga hut project at Athens City Council’s meeting on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. Screenshot.
Related discussion on temporary housing shelters
In a connected but shorter discussion regarding Conestoga huts and other temporary shelters, the planning and development committee discussed a planning commission recommendation that would change zoning code to allow temporary housing shelters in zones R-3, multifamily, and B-3, business, as permitted accessory uses.
The zoning changes, if enacted by the council, would require approval from the service-safety director, and subsequently the board of zoning appeals.
A public hearing will be held on the proposed zoning changes to allow for temporary housing shelters. It is also likely to be set for October.
Swank said the proposed permit process would be different from the Conestoga pilot project.
Kim Kelly, who lives in the Albany area and owns a laundromat on Stimson Avenue, asked the council not to approve the changes. Kelly said her dealings with unhoused persons have been detrimental to her business. Kelly said she has locked her business’s bathrooms because they are misused. The toilet has been broken and the sink was pulled off the wall, she said.
Ginger Schmalenberg, who manages the Gathering Place, said the temporary housing structures need to be monitored — and would benefit from having structure and programming for tenants like the Gathering Place offers.
Board of zoning appeals Chair Rob Delach said the board has to follow state laws and would make sure that the forthcoming ordinance would be enforced. He called the board of zoning appeals’ duties “an important safeguard for the community.”
Stauffer said allowing certain pieces of property to have the “privilege” of temporary housing structures, while leaving out others, will “open up a can of worms.”
City supports Imagination Library
Following a presentation by Athens Public Libraries Director Nick Tepe to the Finance and Personnel Committee, council members voiced their strong support for the city continuing to fund Athens County’s participation in the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Imagination Library provides every participating child up to age five with a book mailed directly to them once a month.
The Imagination Library receives much of its revenue for overhead costs from the Dollywood Foundation. The state pays half of the book costs, which works out to $2.60 per book.
There are currently 1,684 children participating countywide, Tepe said — a participation rate of 66%.
In 2024, more than 21,000 books reached children across Athens County at a cost of $47,534, with the county’s cost at $23,737.
Tepe said the Athens County Foundation continues to do an exemplary job of managing Imagination Library funds for Athens County Public Libraries, and receives community member donations that have totaled about $45,000 over the past five years since the program began in 2020. Swank and Mayor Steve Patterson initiated the program within the city, Tepe noted.
The cost of Imagination Library books in Athens works out to $829 per month, or $9,950 per year. All of the council members present Monday voiced their support for providing another $10,000 in 2026 to fund the city’s Imagination Library expense.
Patterson said any commitment beyond next year should not be codified yet, because DeWine is term-limited and it is as yet not certain whether the next Ohio governor will support the Imagination Library with equal zeal.
Athens City Council’s next regular meeting will be Monday, Sept. 15, 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.
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