ATHENS, Ohio — The new Athens Fire Department headquarters, located by the Stimson Avenue roundabout, is expected to go into operation this October after slowed construction.
“Ultimately, it really was due to a delay of some steel delivered for the building,” Athens Service-Safety Director Andy Stone said. The original date for the project’s completion was September.
According to Stone, much of the remaining work is on the building’s interior: installing flooring, wiring the building, connecting ductwork and more.
The goal is to make a firehouse that will serve the needs of both the firefighters and the public. Toward that end, the project included work in the area near the firehouse, including adult exercise equipment and public bathrooms.
“We are really thrilled with how we could incorporate elements of this project to serve both groups,” Stone said.
The outdoor exercise equipment, to be installed along the bikeway, will be similar to equipment at West State Street Park, Stone said. However, the equipment by the firehouse will comprise a mix of composite materials and metal, rather than wood.
New boat launch opening soon
The new boat launch is a highly anticipated addition, since there are no official launches on the river past White’s Mill in the City of Athens. Stone hopes that the boat launch will attract more people to explore the river.
“We included the launch as part of it, from the very beginning — taking advantage of the fact that it’s right there by the river,” Stone said.
The boat launch also serves a practical purpose.
“In Athens, with our history of flooding and high water in the Hocking River, there are occasions where our fire department has to deploy in the Hocking River,” Stone said. “It’s only logical that we could create an access point so that they don’t have to drive anywhere, they can launch directly out of the station.”
The boat launch isn’t complete yet: It will be covered in a flexible concrete matting to help protect the ramp against erosion and sustained use. The ground around the launch will be planted with native flora to help wildlife and help prevent erosion.
Hockhocking Adena Bikeway reopens
The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway near the new firehouse was closed for several weeks during construction — a closure made longer because of the delay in steel delivery.
“That created a cascading effect, so there was a delay on the steel which caused a delay on the installation of some concrete, and that concrete needed to be put in prior to paving,” Stone said.
Some members of the public weren’t happy about the closure and shared their complaints with Stone’s office. Stone said he sympathized with the complaints, but is confident that the improved bikeway infrastructure and emergency response upgrades were worth the inconvenience.
Further improvements to the bikeway around the city are ahead, Stone said.
“The bikeway in the West State Street Park is gonna get repaved this year,” Stone said. “And also, we are going to add to our annual paving contract to do a repaving from U.S. 33 — where it crosses over the bikeway — to about 1½ miles east.”
Editors Note: This article was updated on 11/20/2024 to reflect that there are no boat launches in the City of Athens. There are other boat launches further downstream on the Hocking River that are still in Athens County
