PUBLIC WORKS VIDEO
Please click the link below to view a video produced by the American Public Works Association that we think describes pretty well what we do and how our work benefits the citizens of the City of Athens.
CLICK HERE>>

MS4 ANNUAL REPORT - 2011
Please click the link below to review the City of Athens annual report on the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System.
CLICK HERE>>

RECYCLE CENTER
Exciting changes have been made to the operation of the Recycle Center in Athens. Thanks to our recycling partner, RockTenn, we now have SINGLE STREAM RECYCLING. For more information:
CLICK HERE>>

NEW PEDESTRIAN SIGNS
The Traffic Control Division of Public Works has updated the electronic WALK/DON'T WALK signs located around the Courthouse Square with new energy efficient LED's (Light Emitting Diodes). This update includes changes to the signs: The word WALK has been replaced with a universal symbol for a pedestrian and the words DON'T WALK have been replaced with a hand, a universal "STOP" symbol. A 10-second countdown clock has been added to the signs as well. These updates were funded by the American Recovery Reinvestment Act.

RECYCLING INITIATIVES IN ATHENS
The City of Athens is proactive in bringing positive environmental change to our community. Through recycling, we all contribute to a less wasteful, more conscientious society. Please
click the link to read more about recycling in Athens.
CLICK HERE >>

MOSQUITO CONTROL TIPS
The Athens Public Works Department would like to provide residents with some tips for mosquito control. An efficient way to control mosquitoes is to survey your property and eliminate any potential habitat. Look for buckets, tin cans, toys, tires, swimming pools, tarps and other containers that are holding water. Do not let water collect in any container for more than two days. Clean out rain gutters and check around faucets and A/C units for leaks. Change the water in your birdbaths and wading pools at least once a week. Eliminate standing water around animal troughs and flush livestock troughs twice a week. Stock ornamental ponds with minnows, which feed on mosquito larvae, or check at a local hardware store for control chemicals to put in the water. Contact Public Works or Keep McMinn Beautiful for more information.

GREEN INITIATIVES
Please click the link below to view a page of helpful hints and advice that can help you, as a resident of Athens, go Green and put a little extra "green" in your pocket.
CLICK HERE >>

LEAF MULCH
Leaf mulch is loaded on Fridays only between 2:50 and 3:20 p.m. Sign in at the Public Works Service Center on Alford Street. Remember to bring a tarp to secure your mulch load. Commercial use of this free mulch is prohibited. Remember that this mulch is made from collected yard waste and may contain unwanted foreign materials.

TRAFFIC COUNTS 2010
Traffic counts performed in early 2010 are now available. Follow the link below to view the counts taken at more than 50 locations across
the City of Athens.
Click Here>>

AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 17, CHAPTER 1 OF THE ATHENS MUNICIPAL CODE
Implementation of the new automated residential sanitation service has required certain changes to City codes concerning refuse and trash disposal. Click the link below to review ORDINANCE NO. 982, which outlines revisions to sections 17-104 and 17-113 of the Municipal Code.
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HIGHWAY 30 MEDIANS
The Highway 30 Median Beautification program began as a way to make the entryway into the City of Athens from the interstate more attractive to visitors.  It also serves to lower mowing and maintenance costs for tax payers.  In an effort to answer concerns the Athens Public Works Department would like to provide the following information about the program:  This program is in the beginning stage; soon the medians will be full of beautiful wild flowers.  At first the wild flowers will appear as weeds, until they all start blooming, and the blooms will last several months due to the variety.  Unfortunately there will be actual weeds growing with the wild flowers because that is just how Mother Nature works.  We will do some spot treatments to remove these invasive species.  The medians will be mowed in the Fall only, so that the wildflower seeds have time to establish and become a more successful crop next Spring.  We ask that residents be patient during the median transition.   

RAIN GARDEN VIDEO
Using grant funds, the Athens Public Works Department has created a short video asking property owners in Athens to consider adding a rain garden to their property. Hosted by local TV personality Bill Landry, this informative video shares the benefits of having a rain garden and access to resources and instructions for actually installing one. Click Here to watch the video.

The Wetlands at E.G. Fisher Library
In partnership with the Library's governing board, EPA, TVA, TDEC and Third Rock Consultants, the Athens Public Works Department has completed a wetlands reclamation project on the banks of the Oostanaula River on property belonging to the E.G. Fisher Library Trust. The public is Please click the link below to read more about this project.
CLICK HERE >>

Click the following link to watch a video taken during the Wetlands Discovery Festival, the grand opening of this new public space:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q14ID57sHZ8

SIDEWALK ARBORETUM
Several organizations have partnered together to create a new environmentally aware destination in Athens: the new Sidewalk Arboretum located on Ingleside Avenue adjacent to the library. The City of Athens, E.G. Fisher Public Library, Athens Area Council for the Arts, E.D.I. Designs, Environmental Protection Agency and Tennessee Department of Transportation participated in this cooperative effort to create an arboretum of native tree and plant species. The Sidewalk Arboretum features a meandering sidewalk, informational plaques and signs, and decorative stones and benches. This site is as beautiful as it is educational and will serve as the inspiration for many more similar projects in the future.

NEW SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION
Click the link below to see how the City of Athens is improving walkability in the city. Once complete, we will have added nearly 6 miles of new sidewalk, linking important destinations and existing sidewalks.
CLICK HERE >>

YMCA GREEN PARKING LOT
Click the link below for information concerning a recent Low Impact Development effort.
CLICK HERE >>

STREET SIGN INVENTORY
To further enhance traffic safety and improve maintenance operations, Athens Public Works
is using technology to inventory all street signs
in the city.

GIS/GPS technology is being used to map
each sign's location, and collect a database
of information concerning each sign. A new device, called a Retroreflectometer, is being
used to ensure that all signs are as bright and readable as possible.

Any sign found to be below specifications
will be replaced as time and budget allow.