(Photo by Michelle Dillon) American Structurepoint Business Development Director Michael Salvatore, right, speaks during a Marietta City Council Public Lands and Buildings Committee meeting Monday evening about the key components of the most recent proposed plan for a $9.4 million waterfront improvement project that includes the area around the Marietta levee, while At-Large Councilman Jon Grimm, right, looks at the proposed plan.

Marietta City Council received a presentation on the proposed plan for a $9.4 million waterfront improvement project along the Marietta levee, which would include moving back the fountain from Bicentennial Plaza at the intersection of Front and Greene streets.

American Structurepoint Inc. Director of Landscape Architecture Mark Underwood and Business Development Director Michael Salvatore shared the proposed plan and its key features with council.

The project area, according to project documents American Structurepoint shared with council, encompasses Ohio Street where it meets Post Street and the area of the waterfront that includes the levee, Bicentennial Plaza, the intersection of Front and Green streets and the area near the Levee House Bistro. According to Salvatore the project plan contains five key targets or features.

One is creating a bigger centerpiece out of the levee by moving the fountain at Bicentennial Plaza east, away from the intersection of Front and Greene streets.

Salvatore said this would “create a more defined space area with seating, lots of amenities, maybe trellises, historical plaques.”

Other features include decluttering utility lines by burying some of the power lines along Ohio, Greene, West Ohio and Post streets, according to Underwood.

He said they are talking to American Electric Power about this and they are waiting for cost information from them.

Underwood said another target is creating a dumpster enclosure, which they are “still trying to find a home for,” he said.

Another target is “treatments to Greene Street” according to Salvatore, which would include narrowing the roadway, expanding the sidewalk and reconfiguring the parking on-street into angled parking, which would provide more parking.

Another piece is making Ohio Street a “more flexible piece” Salvatore said.

He said they are proposing moving the existing retaining wall on Ohio Street back a little bit and “borrowing a couple feet from the drive lanes” on Ohio Street.

This will give a little more space to create an “enclave” where potentially there could be seating in the form of a seat wall or benches and maybe some trees would be put in.

Salvatore said this seating would be leveled seating with one level going along Ohio Street and it would create an entire area of seating similar to what Columbus has at its riverfront.

The tiered grassy area that leads from near the fountain to the waterfront will become more of an amphitheater-type space, according to Underwood, and the area where the fountain is now will become a seating space with a trellis structure overhead.

There would be seating in the amphitheater-type area and some trees would be added for shade.

The city-owned parking lot off West Ohio Street, Salvtatore said, would be similar in configuration to what it is now, but they will “level up the finish” to make it more pedestrian friendly.

“Our next steps (are) we’ll really start digging into more of those pieces,” Underwood said. “Our next step is really looking at the budget side.”

He said then they can come back to council and let them know cost and decide if they can cover the entire project or really focus on specific pieces.

The purpose of the waterfront/levee project is “to catalyze private investment in Marietta,” Salvatore said.

The public was given a chance to comment on the proposed plan and six people did so.

Cheri Seevers, a representative of the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival is one of those who spoke.

“The sternwheel festival is super excited about this project,” she said.

She asked if the fountain being moved would hinder the big box trucks that back down the levee for the sternwheel festival and Underwood said they are still maintaining the access to the levee.

Levee House Bistro co-owner Casey Hickey also spoke.

“What plans do you have during construction that people can still get to our businesses?”

Underwood said that would be the trick, figuring that out.

“There will be accommodations and it will have to be something we talk back and forth about regarding what’s going on, scheduling … so that you’ll be informed,” Underwood said.

American Structurepoint is doing the design work for the project, according to Salvatore, and the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization, which is administering the Appalachian Community Grant Program funds for the project, will choose the construction manager, who would hire the contractors to do the work.

Salvatore said he expects to have cost information ready to give to council by mid-December to January.

No additional meetings have been scheduled yet to discuss the project.