By Abdul Jobs
Reporter for Made-up Escalator Beat
Four days of use and $200,000 later, the Jefferson Hill escalator has transformed into what it was previously — stairs.
Last Thursday, Ohio University completed the installation of the escalator, the first of three outdoor sets to be installed by 2015. The others will be placed on Morton Hill and the Richland Avenue Bridge. The city of Athens is waiting for clearance on a fourth Smith Street escalator.
The damage will run OU an estimated $400,000, twice as much as the cost of installation, according to documents provided by the university’s Facilities Bureau.
“In 2010, chilled water utility lines were installed under the original stairs, and we didn’t think that they would need to be removed or located elsewhere when we constructed the escalator,” said Mark Yelnats, an employee at KONE Elevators & Escalators in Columbus. “The water line broke, and long story short, the escalator’s electric system shorted out.”
The salary of a history department professor chosen at random will help fund escalator renovations.
“Wait, what?” said Jerry McGwire, a professor of history at OU.
The university is also considering installing a ski lift system for the residents of Bryan Hall.
“The ski lift would require another 3.5 percent tuition increase, but we are still waiting on the approval from the ABC Budget Council,” said a university spokesperson. “The ABC did recommend installing moving sidewalks on College Green, but that is a separate issue that will be voted on at this month’s Board of Trustees meeting.”
The other two escalator projects are scheduled to be completed by Fall Semester 2015.
“This was a dream come true,” said Ashlee Skeels, a freshman studying retail and fashion merchandising. “(When the Jeff Hill escalator is fixed), I’ll be able to carry my Franzia in one hand and my iPhone in the other again without getting out of breath and all, you know, hashtag gross and sweaty.”
Not all students are thrilled about the upcoming projects, though, including Miranda Reeping, a junior studying early childhood development and an employee at Ping Center.
“I really want to work them glutes, you know,” she said. “I don’t really like the idea of a moving sidewalk, either, because those things make me feel like the Bionic Woman.”
