News
Fracking Main Topic Of Athens Town Hall Meeting
By: Graylyn Roose
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Athens City leaders now know more about the feelings of some residents on fracking and finding shelter for the homeless after a town hall meeting last night.
The meeting was held at the community center and Mayor Paul Wiehl and members of city council were in attendance.
Each resident had three minutes to speak.
Hyrdaulic Fracturing or fracking was one of the biggest issues discussed.
Athens resident and Environmental Activist Heather Cantino encouraged citizens of Athens to speak out against the controversial oil and gas drilling procedure.
I think citizens need to continue to speak out and find creative ways to stand up to the industry and our state government that is encouraging this destructive industry and has laws that will not protect our air, our water, our land value, our public health, our environment," says Cantino.
Several Athens residents also spoke out about the need to better accommodate the homeless population in the area.
Good Works Volunteer Angie Pyle says the issue centers around zoning laws in the city.
"Nobody's asking for money, just for people to regroup and make the zoning law such that Good Works and other organizations can move forward and help more people, and not be so restricted time and time again, as they seek to meet the needs of poor community members," says Pyle.
Other issues discussed included the proposed closing of Chauncey Elementary School and the need for better bicycle accommodations uptown.