Town and Gown Affairs

Town Council members converse about important issues in the surrounding community. 
Photo by James Blankenship

On Tuesday, September 15, the Town of Athens council members met at University Point as part of a Town and Gown meeting with the residents of Athens and various Concord University members.  They held this meeting in hopes of bringing the town of Athens and Concord University closer together to create a positive relationship with each other.  

Many topics were covered such as communication between the town and university, social and civic engagement, and issues with off-campus housing.  However, two of the big topics that were discussed were economic development in the town of Athens and student behavior off-campus.

Everyone who went to Concord in the pre-Dollar General days knows how inconvenient it was to have to make a trip to Princeton or pay outrageous prices for staple items at CVS.  Dollar General may or may not have been a heavenly sent gift, to not only the students, but the residents of Athens as well.  However, there is only so much you can buy from Dollar General.  Plans of future economic development are actually in the works.  Close to the end of this month or the beginning of October a Mediterranean style restaurant will be opening next to the deli.  This will give students their much desired need for something other than pizza and sandwiches.  While Athens unfortunately can’t expect a Sheetz in their near future, the council was open to students and residents bringing suggestions to them, within reason of course.  

Despite the fact that the town of Athens lacks in the area of off-campus dining, President Dr. Kendra Boggess stated “Concord is the best school in Southern West Virginia.  We need to make this an even more vibrant community.  We are on board to do whatever it takes to make that happen.” Afterwards she mentioned that a Concord University alumnus “has a lot of Chic-fil-A’s that are working on looking into opening in the area…we’re looking and we’re getting some of the right people to show interest.”  While no one should expect to see a Chic-fil-A pop up anytime soon, the town of Athens and Concord University are working hard to bring more attractions to the area.

A big issue many students have talked about over the years is off-campus activities containing alcohol.  Students are discouraged to drink on campus, so that leads them to drinking off-campus, often at Chaucer or East Broadway.  While students find these places as go-to party spots, community members who have families or early day jobs also live in these places.  The council agreed that students should be able to indulge in activities where alcohol is involved without having to drive to Princeton.  In fact, councilwoman Smith said “I would rather [students] be drinking behind my house at Chaucer than to hear sirens and think that they were for a student in trouble.”  She also stated that “we wouldn’t be here if this wasn’t a college town.” Her husband is an instructor at Concord.  While many students may feel that there is tension between themselves and the community members, even community members at the meeting expressed that they understood.  They know what it’s like to go to college and to want to have fun.  It’s when that fun gets out of hand and residents are disturbed during early hours of the morning that creates the problem.

However, council members and fellow residents expressed the desire to find some common ground when it came to drinking off-campus.  Dr. Boggess as well as the council and other community members said they wanted to create a safe place for students to go and have fun.  The board said they want to “find a way for both sides [Concord and the town of Athens] to communicate appropriately and express their ideas appropriately.”  

At the end of the meeting the board extended the invitation to all Concord students to attend their next town hall meeting and bring them any concerns or ideas of how to strengthen the relationship between the University and the town.  The council meets every first and third Tuesday at 7:00 PM at the Town Hall of Athens.  

If you would like to be put on the agenda or have any ideas or concerns and can’t attend the meeting, contact Mayor Tim Pike at mayor@townofathens.com.