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| Festival road closings begin |
| By mariettatimes.com |
| Published: 09/10/2009 |
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Preparations for the 2009 Ohio River Sternwheel Festival have been going on for quite some time, but Marietta residents will really start to notice them this evening. The 100 block of Greene Street and Second Street between Ohio and Greene streets will close at 5 p.m. today, said Jon Coppernoll, safety and security chairman for the festival committee. "That's where the vendors set up," he said. The next main road closures will happen at 3 p.m. Friday, when Second Street between Greene and Butler streets and Greene between Second and Third streets are closed, Coppernoll said. At 5 p.m. Friday, the 100 block of Front Street and Ohio Street from Third Street to the Ohio River levee will close. A couple of city projects could create some obstacles for festival-goers. The widening of Muskingum Drive could slow traffic during peak times, such as after the Saturday night fireworks display. And the second phase of the River Trail expansion is currently under way. "We're behind schedule on that," said Kevin Crock, project engineer with the city. "There's a portion of the project between Third and Fourth Street that's not finished." The city had hoped to have that work done before the festival. Today, city workers will be putting up safety fencing to keep pedestrians out of the area. Post Street, which was designated a permanent one-way street at the start of the latest River Trail phase, will revert to a two-way street starting Friday to allow people to enter and exit the Lafayette Hotel parking lot. On Saturday, Fort Street in Harmar will be closed between Maple Street and Fort Square, as part of a neighborhood tradition, said Fort Street resident Tom Fenton. The street is closed in the morning so no cars will park there, thus leaving lots of space for about 4,000 people to gather to watch the fireworks display. "This has been done for 10 to 15 years," Fenton said. "Then we clean up after it's over." The festival kicks off Friday night, and city and county law enforcement personnel will be on hand to provide security. The Marietta Police Department will have two additional officers on duty during the day and at least four in the festival area in the evening, said police Chief Brett McKitrick. A few additional officers will probably be on hand Saturday night to help with traffic control after the fireworks. McKitrick said the department has been stretched a little thin in recent weeks with multiple officers on light duty, one serving in Afghanistan and another position empty. Still, officers are scheduled to put in the extra hours for this weekend's festival. "We budget for it every year," McKitrick said. "People are starting to get tired of overtime, but everyone expects this one." The Washington County Sheriff's Office will also have four additional deputies on duty Friday and Saturday evenings, Sheriff Larry Mincks said. Around midnight each night, after the festivities are over, a corrections officer will bring a crew of inmates from the county jail downtown to clean up the riverbank. Read More. |
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