City finalizes plans for annual International Street Fair

City Council also unanimously passed ordinance 0-16-18, which allows Mayor Steve Patterson to submit an application to the EPA for a grant to complete storm mitigation improvements in the city.

[dropcap txtcolor="#234a83" style="dropcap1"]C[/dropcap]ity Council passed a resolution Monday night to close E. Union Street for the international street fair on April 7. The council also approved a resolution that will allow the mayor to appeal for a grant from the EPA to deal with water control on Stimson Ave.Ordinance 0-02-18, which passed unanimously, closes E. Union Street on April 7, starting at Court Street and ending at University Terrace. The street will be closed from 7 a.m to 6 p.m.[AdSense-A]The resolution initially had to be tabled and rewritten due to a conflict on Court St. at the time, Councilmember Peter Kotses said. Kotses introduced the bill.City Council also unanimously passed ordinance 0-16-18, which allows Mayor Steve Patterson to submit an application to the EPA for a grant to complete storm mitigation improvements in the city. The city of Athens will split the cost by 40 percent with the EPA.If Athens were to receive the grant funding, it is expected to fund improvements on Stimson Ave. and to assist with stream water flow, Kotses said. Council member Kent Butler introduced the bill.“This is one way of stitching together various granting mechanisms to bring in a lot of features we might not otherwise be able to afford,” Patterson said.City Council also introduced the first reading of an amendment to 0-151-17, allowing the hiring of an intern for the city of Athens auditor's office during the summer of 2018. The intern will be an advanced undergraduate from the Patton College of Business that specializes in finance, Mayor Patterson said.The intern will analyze expenses and revenue from the past 10 years and will also do trend analysis on data, Patterson said. Patterson will be interviewing 10 individuals for the position. The council unanimously approved the mayor's appointee, Daniel Brown, to the Arts, Parks, and Recreation Advisory Board. Brown has a masters degree from Ohio University in biological sciences, ecology and evolutionary biology.“I reach out to people that I think have the skill set that really kind of fleshes out our boards and commissions,” Patterson said.