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OU To Chip In For New Athens Fire Truck
By: Katie Doup
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Ohio University will contribute to the purchase of a new fire ladder truck for the City of Athens. The University will pay $50,000 a year for five years for a total for $250,000. The university's offering will cover about a quarter of the cost of the new truck.
Athens City Council members have estimated 85 percent of the building the new truck will serve are on campus. Becky Watts, Chief of Staff to OU President Roderick McDavis, said the health and safety of the student population is a priority for Ohio University. "This commitment towards the fire ladder truck is part of a memorandum of understanding with the city in order to further the relationship between the City of Athens and Ohio University," said Watts.
President McDavis and Mayor Paul Wiehl plan on forming a work group with representatives from the city and the university to come together and develop a proposal. Watts says she expects the proposal to be complete by the end of the year. A work group will draw from a number of informal, unwritten agreements to formalize the final memorandum of understanding.