Posts Tagged ‘Front Street’

Year in Review: Top Stories of 2010

I was reminded that it is time to take a look back when Marietta College posted their own Top 10 Stories list, so here they are…the 10 stories that received the most traffic on Writing on the Mall in 2010.

10 – Looking Back At Campus Flooding

This was the only story submitted by Tom Perry’s writing classes to make it to the Top 10.  Stacy Frederick did a great retrospective piece on the 2004 and 2005 floods.  The Ohio River went over its banks twice that year, flooding Marietta and the College in the process.  Frederick’s article had some great interviews with alumni and College officials, and shows the improvements made to the College’s flooding preparedness plans.

You can read that article here.

9 – Student Speak Out Coverage

Our Student Speak Out coverage was so popular this Fall that it actually crashed the site, which I was impressed by.  If you want to take a look back, here is the Spring 2010 and Fall 2010 live blog pages.  We will actually have our Top Questions from the Fall Student Speak Out here this week.

8 – Student Senate Posters Get Defaced

Maybe when I originally ran this story, it was a bit “Fox News”-ish.  But apparently readers wanted to hear about Student Senate candidate posters getting defaced.  The original story ran here.

Read more…

Front Street Fire Ruled Arson

The Marietta Times is reporting today that the Front Street Fire has been ruled an Arson.

You can read the full article here.

There is a $5,000 reward for information in the case.

To report information about the arson,  contact the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Fire & Explosion Investigation Bureau at 800-589-2728 or the Marietta Police Department at 376-2007

VIDEO: Last Wall Standing Comes Down

A demolition crew was brought in to knock down several of the walls that still stood after the Front Street Fire this morning that claimed three businesses.  While full coverage of the demolition will come later, here is vide of the last wall standing coming down with the help of a wrecking ball.

PHOTOS: Front Street Fire Aftermath

Writing on the Mall traveled down to Front and Butler to survey the damage.  The photos that follow are what we encountered.

Construction on Campus

Don’t worry, this isn’t any construction you’ll see when you get back.  Its stuff that Physical Plant is working on now so you can enjoy them come late August.

The picture to the left is of the new sidewalk that is being poured by Parsons and McCoy to replace the parking area used by construction workers.  That means no more walking in the road now.

Also, there is some work going on inside McDonough and Erwin Hall.  McDonough received donations for a renovation and purchase of digital presentation equipment.  Room 205 has been all re-done, with new paint, more narrow desks and chairs (so you can actually walk to your seat now, instead of navigating the maze of chairs in a narrow space), power and data hook-ups for every seat, and a new projector and smartboard combo for presentations and classes.

Erwin Hall saw its bathrooms enter ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance on the first floor, as the college continues the process of becoming 100% ADA compliant.
Lastly, the wooden stairway from the rear of the Dyson-Baudo Recreation Center to the McCoy/Mills parking lot has been torn up. I’m not sure if this will be replaced, rebuilt, or totally demolished. I guess we’ll see when we get back. However, this is a welcome sight, as the rubber material they had covered the stairs with had begun to come off and become a hazard for those who used it.

Off campus, look for a completely rebuilt Front Street, which saw all of the bricks pulled out and replaced, with a focus placed on pedestrian safety.  Speed tables now lead up to raised crosswalks, and flashing lights can be triggered to alert motorists to mid-block crossings.  Washington Bridge construction continues, so if you use State Route 7, you’ll have to use the provided detour, which sends you up or down Interstate 77.

NCAA Division 3 Track And Field Championships Start Today

After a weekend loss for the Pioneers in the Division 3 Baseball Mideast Regional, Marietta College campus staff and volunteers turned to their own Division 3 Championship weekend for success in a different way.

Starting today, Marietta College hosts the NCAA Division 3 Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track Championships at Don Drumm Stadium. The event runs through Saturday, the 23rd.

Nearly 700 student athletes, their athletic trainers, coaches, and families from around the nation have descended on Marietta, which is hosting its first major Division 3 Championship since hosting the D3 Baseball Championships from 1976 to 1987 (1976 was the first year that Division 3 Baseball existed).

There are several side events planned to go along with the Championships, including events at Don Drumm and on Front Street. Tonight (Thursday) from 4:30 to 9 PM, restaurants along Front Street will be offering discounts and deals for those wearing Track Championship credentials or wristbands. So fans that buy tickets can also enjoy the same discounts that the student-athletes and coaches get. No list was announced, but a list will be available at the information booths at both Don Drumm and Hermann Fine Arts Center.

On Friday night, a children’s olympics will be held at Don Drumm Stadium from 7 to 9:30 PM. Kids aged 6 to 13 can compete in various olympic events that have been altered to work a bit better for the young ones. The big kicker for the night is a fireworks show around 9:15 PM. The event is being organized by the Marietta College Track & Field Event Management class and is free for the Marietta community, student-athletes, volunteers, coaches, and all others to attend.

For Marietta, the focus is on its two athletes, Jayshon Irvin (Freshman, 100m dash), and Zach Gay (Junior, High Jump). Good luck gentlemen, hopefully you can bring back the hardware. Or I should say, carry it over to the display case in Dyson.

Front Street Overhaul Announced

It appears that there will be a nice little construction project going on here soon.  Front Street is being repaired and revamped, with construction beginning in January.

The half a million dollar project will take care of the 100 and 200 blocks of Front Street, where most of its activity is located.  It should be done by May.  Which is good for the town, since the tourist season starts soon after that.  But bad for us college students that drive on Front Street.

Some things to note about the project:  speed tables and crossings.  Speed Tables will be implemented throughout the length of Front Street (although there is no report of how many will be used).  If you’ve never encountered one, they are basically an enlongated speed bump.  In our case, they are a four inch rise over four feet.  Not too jarring, but noticeable.  The other thing is revamped crosswalks at intersections and at some mid-block points.  It will mean less running for pedestrians and more safety.

25 MPH will sill be the norm, so watch yourselves.