Most of us keep a little distraction around the office – you know, a teeny radio or the iPod to break the silence and mix things up.

Not on the Scioto Mile work site. There are no radios, and no headphones – at least, not the recreational kinds. The ban is a safety provision.

The rule makes sense.  If you’ve ever NOT heard a police siren because of the car stereo, you know exactly what we’re talking about. It’s hard to hear equipment signals while getting a groove on.  While computer jocks don’t generally need to be aware of approaching equipment, bulldozers and forklifts buzz all over the Scioto Mile.

There’s still this nagging question: what about those crew members who wear headphones for ear-protection?  Hmmmmm . . .

Of course, Messer Construction has a rule for that. Project Executive (and resident brainiac) Jeff Ruschau explains, “The ability to hear the surrounding noises and safety equipment such as ‘back-up’ horns is necessary on a construction site . . . and hearing protection is required in those areas where there is excessive noise exposure even if on a temporary basis.” Or, he directed us to provision 00 80 01 of the safety program.

In other words, a little good judgment and finesse are required when it comes to harmonizing safety standards.

Good judgment and finesse are required when making musical harmony too.  We started collecting nominations for the Scioto Mile Soundtrack – tunes that can roll with the river. Our crew had a few ideas (check out the video); now we need yours! 

Rap, rock, Broadway? What songs come to mind on the Scioto Mile?

When you think of parks, it’s normal to think about using the green space to run around, throw a ball, or toss a Frisbee. The Scioto Mile has more than enough turf to welcome that sort of energetic exuberance.

But, this city is home to brains and brawn.

So, the designs for the Scioto Mile project also include facilities for some hard-core cerebral calisthenics. Twelve chess tables (with 24 seats) are being constructed for installation along the Scioto Mile Promenade. Not just any old chess-tables: regulation chess tables. They conform to the standards suggested by both national and local chess organizations.

Whether it's chess-time or lunch-time, the Promenade will be a hot spot on the Scioto Mile

Actually, the tables go beyond any minimum regulation standards: they’re really cool.  These tables are built for all weather conditions, with an imprinted texture to distinguish spaces on a chessboard. There’s also extra space on the side to hold the player pieces.

Not feeling that brainy? Learning chess can actually improve your intelligence. There are several studies that document measurable improvements in memory, problem-solving skills, and quantitative analysis . . . and that’s in both young and old.

Still not interested? Those regulation chess tables are the perfect size for lunch tables too.

You know what they say about people in glass houses?  Right: “Don’t throw rocks.”

Moral lessons aside, the notion of living in a glass house actually sounds pretty darn cool. You could see out the windows in every direction, the walls would be all sparkly and clear.

While living within transparent walls would require quite a lifestyle change, dining in a glass restaurant sounds like doable fun. Especially if that restaurant was surrounded by a scenic riverfront . . .

Bicentennial Park diners will have quite a view

With fountains
And a park
And a performance stage
And a metropolitan skyline

That sure does sound like the restaurant on the Scioto Mile. It’s about eighty percent glass. Not glass block, pure transparent glass. Diners will be able to enjoy their meals and take in all the beauty of the fountain and the riverside. It’s like year-round al fresco dining, without the bugs or rain.

The glass walls also make the spot beautiful from the outside.  Viewed from every angle, from the street or from the riverbank, the restaurant will have an elegant sparkle.  It’s all the joys of living in a glass house . . . without ever having to wash a window.

It’s hard to miss the voluminous tents strewn across the landscape of Bicentennial Park at the Scioto Mile.

Nope, it’s not the Boy Scouts (not yet anyway).

It’s the pipe team – the crew that connects the massive network of pipes to supply the fountain. Like all members of the construction team, the pipe-people will work in any weather condition. It’s the pipe adhesives that are persnickety. For optimal sealing conditions, the pipes and the glue have to be warm. Hence, the whole zone is under wraps – with heaters and tents to hold the heat in.

Connecting the pipes is actually a two-part job: after the adhesive has set, the seals are then tested.

This tenting is to keep the fountain pipes warm – not the workers

Keep in mind that Scioto Mile builders have been using state-of-the-art equipment. Onlookers might see remote-operated compacters or fancy post-tensioning cable. In keeping with the high-tech theme, there’s probably a super-duper special leak detector for these pipes. Perhaps the crew uses black lights . . . or magnetic detection devices or sonar waves?

Nope: they flood the pipes with water. All that water under pressure will show any breech in the system – with a drip or a teeny puddle. While the high-tech construction tools are nice, sometimes the old way is really the best way.