City Council revisits single-use plastic bag ban, expands Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen parking space

Athens City Council heard opinions from Athens residents on the proposed single-use plastic bag ban at its meeting Monday night. It also approved three ordinances, including one which would allow Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen to use parking spaces on 333 E.State St.

Councilmember Alan Swank introduced the plastic bag ban at the council’s March 7 meeting, which was met with initial support from Athens ReThink Plastics and other members of the Athens community. If passed, the ordinance would require stores in the city to only offer paper or reusable bags to their customers beginning on Aug. 1. 

Originally, the language did not account for food trucks, a concern brought up by some Athenians. The council amended the ban to read “no store or vendor” in sections A and B and “no store or vendor or establishment” in section C of Chapter 13.02, which fixed this discrepancy.

Barbara Stout, owner of Athens Underground, expressed her dismay for the ban to council, citing research that said the production of plastic bags has a lower environmental impact than that of paper ones.

“This is not as simple as plastic good, paper bad,” Stout said.

Athens Underground has offered plastic bags to customers only when necessary and often reuses Kroger bags in its store. It was a lot cheaper for Stout to purchase plastic bags in bulk than paper ones. She bought a box of 1,000 plastic bags for 25 cents each last year, but when she looked for paper alternatives the cheapest ones she could fine were between 35 and 45 cents. She claimed that banning plastic bags could create economic strain for many small businesses and urged the council to consider its impact.

Lee Greg and Nancy Pierce, members of Athens ReThink Plastics, both mentioned stores that offer bags for purchase. Greg noted that Seaman’s Cardinal Market on W Union St. offers paper bags to customers for 25 cents each, while her research showed many online retailers sell them for cheaper. Pierce brought up Aldi’s similar bag availability, or lack thereof, charging 12 cents per bag.

“If business owners charge a fee for bags, it discourages people from using them,” Pierce said.

Melina Miller, another Athens ReThink Plastics member who has worked with local businesses and Kroger, explained that Athens ReThink Plastics do not have any intention of hurting small businesses. Instead, the group only wants to make Athens a more environmentally friendly place to live and to create a clean Earth for her grandchildren.

The ban was amended for the first time, and it will return in front of council for future readings and eventual vote.

Councilmember Sarah Grace introduced an ordinance that would grant Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen on E. State St. a right-of-way use permit to include three paved parking spaces. Grace explained that the parking spaces are not new, but would be used by the restaurant and its customers. Athens Lock and Key used to own the parking spaces until it closed. Currently, the spaces are used by a food truck.

Mayor Steve Patterson and Swank both received emails from Dr. May’s that expressed urgency for the permit to be approved for contracting reasons and both suggested that the rules for the ordinance be suspended.

“I think it makes perfect sense, in this case, to encourage businesses to grow and one way we can do that is by cutting some of the red tape, as the Mayor said, and moving this forward,” Swank said.

Swank noted that if the ordinance would follow normal rules, it would not be approved until April 17 and would not take full effect until 30 days after. With the rules suspended, Dr. May’s would be able to use the spaces significantly earlier.

Council suspended the rules and approved the ordinance.

In other news, the council approved a resolution to urge both the state of Ohio and the legislative branch of the federal government to take further steps to prevent future train derailments in the state. This comes after two Norfolk Southern trains derailed in the state in 40 days, including one in East Palestine that has had a prolonged impact on its residents and the environment. Additionally, Kroger will be taking ownership of what used to be GameStop to sell high-proof liquor, keeping only low-proof liquor in its main store. The council has until April 17 to comment on it.