The Attention-Getting Device

Here’s a quick summary of the arguments that have been made for and against the planned OU/NCR Retirement Center:

For:
The retirement center will :
• Keep retiring OU faculty in Athens and assist in new faculty recruitment.
• Increase financial gifts made to OU.
• Serve as a training facility for OU gerontology students.
• Be within walking distance of the Athens Public Library and many local businesses.
• Bring more business into the town.
• Foster a vibrant intergenerational community on the east side.

Against:
The retirement center will:
• Occupy the Near East Side’s only real park space, eroding the neighborhood’s appeal as a residential quarter.
• Increase traffic congestion and hazards on Stimson, Morris and May Avenues.
• Cater only to wealthier retirees.
• Compete unfairly with other retirement centers in the area.
• Drain city resources without being part of the tax base.
• Contribute to risk of flooding throughout the Hocking River Valley.