MARIETTA — A public meeting on Ohio River Trail repairs Wednesday night included a recap of the project by City Engineer Joseph Tucker, a suggestion for lighting from the lone member of the public who attended and a warning that the public must stay away from the area until it is completed and re-opened early next summer.

Fred Smith of 406 Warren St. was recognized by council members and he thanked them for addressing the repairs.

“Thank you, this is a huge safety issue. My only thought is, have you considered adding lighting?” he said. “That would be a big asset, on that part of the trail in particular.”

Council members who were present agreed with the safety aspect from Smith and emphasized by Tucker. The portion in question is more critical than any other part of the trail as far as safety is concerned because of pedestrians who might otherwise be walking on Ohio 7, Tucker said.

“Lots of people use this to go to the store, to travel to work. It’s not just for entertainment, “ Second Ward Councilman Bret Allphin said.

Fourth Ward Councilman Geoff Schenkel agreed and said he was thankful that the path was being acknowledged more as “a critical part of our transportation system.”

The repair work to be done, formally described as Ohio River Trail Phase V – Soldier Pile Retaining Wall Failure and Bike Trail Slip Repair, remains tentatively scheduled to begin Oct. 3. Once it starts, Tucker’s advice to the public is “don’t go there.”

The written statement he read for the public meeting included this warning:

“It is critical that the public not use or access any portion of the multi-use path within the heavy equipment access road area and/or construction zone which spans from Jefferson Street (by the Wastewater Treatment Plant) all the way to the Duck Creek Pedestrian Bridge. This area will be clearly marked and any trespasasers will be subject to prosecution by the City of Marietta.”

During the meeting, Tucker also addressed progress on the East Norwood Pump Station. A new city sanitary sewer lift station is operational, although there are some technical issues with electronics and instrumentation and control, he said. The project is waiting on replacement parts to finish that aspect.

The East Norwood pump station and the Ohio River Trail projects are separate but related, he said. The pump station had to be operational before the trail repairs could start, Tucker said.

The city also was directed by the Ohio EPA to do the Norwood work as soon as possible, he said. The project will allow the city to intercept the sanitary sewer flow from the existing 30-inch sewer near the I-77 exit ramp and send the flow into a newly installed 6-inch HDPE force main under Duck Creek and into an existing city sewer line capable of receiving the flow.

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