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A crosswalk proposal for uptown Athens highlights tensions between accessibility and historic preservation
By: David Forster
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Athens city leaders are considering a crosswalk proposal to replace some of the street bricks in the historic uptown district to address mobility concerns.
The proposal is highlighting some of the longstanding tensions between improving accessibility for those with disabilities, preserving the city’s historic character and also trying to limit disruptions to businesses.
Andy Stone, the city’s service-safety director, put it this way: “All the things that we want are incompatible with one another.”
Disability advocates have long pushed for improvements to the sidewalk ramps and crosswalks in the uptown area, which can be very difficult to navigate for those who use a wheelchair or other mobility aid.
The city has been planning to address these concerns as part of a larger project to improve the streetscape uptown. This project has been put out to bid, but so far the city has not received any bids.
Meanwhile, an opportunity to address the Court/Union intersection has presented itself. The contractor doing the renovation work on the building at the southwest corner is already doing some sidewalk improvements and can take on the entire project.
The cost is estimated at $168,000 and the work would be done during Ohio University’s Christmas break to limit disruptions to uptown businesses.
Councilmember Solveig Spjeldnes emphasized the importance of minimizing the impact on merchants.
“One of the concerns as we all know is that this construction work on the streets on West Union and Stimson and other places has really done damage to the businesses,” she said. “So I’m hoping that every effort can be made to not get in their way.”
Councilmember Alan Swank echoed this concern, especially if the work required closing the entire intersection.
“I just shudder to think that before Christmas someone couldn’t find some way onto Court Street,” he said.
Stone said he would try to find a way to do half of the intersection at a time to keep a lane open. The challenge, he said, is the concrete will need a certain amount of time to cure before it can bear the weight of traffic, and he wants to have the work done and the intersection ready by the end of the winter break.
The intersection has six crosswalks: four at each corner that create a square, and two that run diagonally, forming an X inside. Stone said only the bricks in the crosswalk zones would be replaced with concrete under the proposal. The bricks in the four triangular sections on each side of the X would remain.
Council President Sam Crowl said the city received a petition signed by 85 residents who oppose replacing street bricks with concrete. They want the city to use either the original bricks or new bricks made to look like the old ones.
Crowl noted that in 2022, the city’s Commission on Disabilities and Historic Preservation Commission jointly recommended that crosswalks in the uptown district be replaced with stamped concrete.
Athens resident Rob Delach, who serves on the Disabilities Commission’s Accessibility and Advocacy Committee, told the council that reusing the old bricks won’t solve the problem the project is intended to address.
“Those blocks have been wearing for 100 years and they’re very uneven, and for mobility requirements it’s still not good enough,” he said.
“It’s still in really good condition. So it’s wearing well, it’s lasting, it’s accessible, it’s solved a lot of the problems,” he said.
Councilmember Beth Clodfelter acknowledged that the brick streets and buildings define the character of the uptown district.
“I tend to have a great deal of respect for people who want to preserve our history, and so I see the point about using Athens brick,” she said. “And I think whenever the city is doing a project in which the use of Athens brick would be appropriate we should do it, because I think that those bricks are a real part of our identity and our history as a community. But in this case … I think maybe the needs of the disabilities community trump that.”
Councilmember Jeff Risner agreed.
“If I have a choice between preserving the brick and helping people move across the street safely and efficiently, I’ll choose people,” he said.
Stone also noted some practical considerations. He said if the council were to opt for using new bricks that resemble the historic ones, swapping those out is a longer process than pouring concrete and could not be completed over winter break. In that case, he said, the city would hold off doing the work at the intersection and make it part of the larger project to upgrade the streets uptown, which likely won’t get done until summer 2026.
Members of the Disabilities Commission have been frustrated by the pace of progress on making the uptown district more accessible. Commission member Michelle Hahn cautioned council members that whatever decision they make about this one intersection, there is much more work to be done.
“I just wanted to let you know that we are still watching,” she said. “We are not moved by platitudes like one intersection. There’s a whole lot more to do. But we look forward to working with the department here of educated problem solvers getting to work for the benefit of the public.”