OU commencement speaker donates land for wildlife preserve

Athens City Council accepted a donation from its scheduled undergraduate commencement speaker last night that will allow approximately five acres on Cardiff Lane to remain as undeveloped park land.

Atul Gawande, a medical staff member of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, will deliver the undergraduate commencement address on June 11 in two separate graduation ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively.

Gawande, who is also a Harvard Medical School graduate, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., but raised in Athens. He is thrilled to be coming home to deliver the undergraduate commencement address this year.

“It was completely flattering,” Gawande said in a press release. “There was nothing more gratifying than being asked to come home and give commencement at Ohio University.”

Gawande went one step further by donating the five acres of land on Cardiff Lane to be preserved as a woodland and wildlife preserve. While the area was intended to also act as recreation area for Athens residents with biking, hiking, and walking trails, Councilwoman Chris Fahl said that the area simply isn’t big enough to incorporate a trail.

“The five acres will remain an open area to the public, but it isn’t large enough for a trail or a playground or anything like that,” she said. “But we will be putting a bench there and it does have a beautiful view.”

The city also plans to plant trees in the park to prevent soil erosion. The park, which will be named the Gawande Family Park, will not pertain much to Ohio University students, as Cardiff Lane is located south of the Hocking River off of Richland Avenue and Coventry Lane in an area mostly occupied by Athens locals.

The park will also be subjected to a perpetual deed restriction, stating that the land shall be used for general recreation purposes.

Another way this land will benefit the city is that Athens will have the right to access the land for public utility improvements as long as it complies with the perpetual deed restriction. Picnic and rest areas will also be implemented within the park.

Councilman Jim Sands said that the city would begin paying taxes on the land this year. Despite that, City Council is very grateful for Gawande and his family’s donation.

“It’s very generous of Dr. Gawande to donate property,” Fahl said. “This is the start of a process to hopefully encourage further donations to make the city nicer.”