The former Ohio University Delta Tau Delta fraternity house located at 4 University Terrace will be reconstructed early this spring to bring it up to new health and safety codes.
The $2.4 million renovation project calls for the house to be gutted and rebuilt from the ground up with the finished building complying with new health and safety standards. The new building will consist of four floors with an elevator and ramp system, a kitchen, a study library and a computer lab in addition to six or seven bathrooms and numerous bedrooms.
Active fraternity members, Delta Tau Delta alumni and funds from the Delta Tau Delta national organization are financing the project.
The Delta Tau Deltas vacated their house at the end of Spring Quarter 2007 and are currently living in a former sorority house owned by the Phi Mu Fraternity Housing Corporation, under Mike Baker of Columbus, on 8 College Street. Renovations to the University Terrace building will begin this April and are slated to be finished September 2009.
The Beta Chapter of Delta Tau Delta Housing Association owns the University Terrace house under Rob Etherington of Mason, Ohio. The property, including the land and building, is appraised at $435,970 according to the Athens County Auditor Web site.
Junior Richard Hundorfean, current president of the Delta Tau Delta chapter, said the house had been in need of reconstruction.
With all the maintenance problems
it got to the point where it was unlivable Hundorfean explained. Steve Pierson, director of Athens Code Enforcement, said the fraternity chapter informed the city last June that a full renovation to the house would take place the upcoming school year.
On Oct. 7, 2004, the building violated 32 code standards according to the Athens Code
Enforcement office. During a follow-up inspection on March 10, 2005, the building failed to meet 15 of the previous housing standards. On March 13, 2005, the fraternity responded to the city notifying them that the OU Delta Tau Delta's housing corporation would address the remaining violations at their next meeting on April 23, 2005.
Former Delta Tau Delta president Greg Harvey then informed Code Enforcement that the fraternity would be vacating the property in June 2007 and the house would be fully renovated. Construction plans calling for structural and mechanical work were submitted to the Ohio Department of Commerce on June 13, 2006, according to the department's Web site. A representative from the department did not return multiple calls seeking additional comment.
The Delta Tau Delta's housing corporation is supervising the renovation and handling most of the financial and reconstruction planning. The housing corporation is a committee of Delta Tau Delta alumni that serves as an authoritative figure for the undergraduate chapter. Hundorfean said the housing corporation visits campus regularly for meetings with the fraternity.
They handle most of the fraternity's finances and housing Hundorfean said. We are in constant contact with them if we have a problem in the house.
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23266,2008-02-19 00:00:00,Staff picks,",The sports staff makes their predictions for Ohio's game against the Bowling Green Falcons tonight at The Convo.,",17,Archives,",200802197127midsize.jpeg,",",",",","
23267,2008-02-19 00:00:00,OUPD
city law director disagree about sex tape investigation,",Although the Ohio University Police Department believes it has finished an investigation into a sex tape that allegedly involves student athletes
the city prosecutor's office disagrees.
We must not be on the same page, Athens City Law Director Patrick Lang said. From our end the investigation is not complete, but I can't really speak to what OUPD says.
OUPD Chief Michael Martinsen said yesterday that his department has concluded its investigation of the incident
in which a man allegedly surreptitiously taped another man and woman having sex.
Lang would not confirm any details other than that the case is still an ongoing investigation.
Sally Linder
OU's senior director of Media Relations
confirmed Friday that the allegations involve students. Also on Friday
OU Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt said his office is monitoring the investigation that may include current or former Ohio athletes and an athletic department staff member.
Police received a tip Jan. 18 from someone who was concerned that video depicting a possible sexual assault had been shown in public
Martinsen said. He said investigators identified and located the people in the video
and they said it was an act of two consenting adults.
I was relieved that we were able to determine that it was a consensual activity, Martinsen said.But the participants in the video also told police that neither one of them had any knowledge that they were being filmed. Martinsen said that it is illegal in Ohio to tape people having sex if any of the parties involved are not aware of the filming.
When asked if police had confiscated the videotape
