EASTON, Pa.(www.lafayette.edu), May 10, 2004 — A Technology Clinic class will present its final report today on the students’ recommendations for improving traffic on Cattell Street and ideas for developing the North 3rd Street corridor at the foot of College Hill, including establishment of a cafe, theater, and bookstore in the former Club Mohican building and construction of a rail-bound transport mechanism for travel between campus and 3rd Street.
Easton Mayor Phil Mitman, Lafayette President Arthur J. Rothkopf ’55, the Easton City Council, the College Hill Neighborhood Association, and others have been invited to the presentation, which will be held 7 p.m. today in the Kirby Hall of Civil Rights auditorium.
Technology Clinic is a hands-on course founded in 1986 that brings together students from different majors to solve the real-world problems of a business, non-profit organization, or government body. Their research addresses the social, technological, and economic issues involved with the client’s problem.
Commissioned by Lafayette and the City of Easton, the group is comprised ofHart Feur ’05, (Portland, Ore.), a double major in economics & business and German, and one of 80 students nationally honored this year with a Morris K. Udall Scholarship; Abigail Frueh ’04 (Havertown, Pa.), a double major in music and psychology; Dina Guirguis ’04 (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.), a double major in international affairs and economics & business; Mike Nilson ’05 (Wantagh, N.Y.), a civil engineering major; and John Veltri ’04 (Lawrenceville, N.J.), a double major in economics & business and anthropology & sociology.
The students are advised by Dan Bauer, professor of anthropology and director of the Technology Clinic program, and James DeVault, associate professor of economics and business.
The group’s development ideas for the gateway to Lafayette include turning the former Club Mohican building into “the home of a commercial, Barnes and Noble-style bookstore, the College Bookstore, a caf�, and a small multifunctional theater (art films, first-run films, “smart” business conferencing, and student entertainment). Some of the wall space would hold art representing existing Easton galleries.” In addition, the former Case’s Tire building could become a small luxury hotel or business condominiums with retail space on the 3rd Street side, note the students.
The Technology Clinic report provides analysis of the target markets, competition, basic business concepts, business partnerships, and risks associated with these proposals.
Possibilities raised for transportation between campus and Third Street are a shuttle bus, an elevator, and a funicular, a rail-bound transport mechanism used to ascend and descend steep hillsides.
“They are likened to a miniature train, the track of which is a short and steep segment,” states the report. “Passengers are loaded into cars that are built so that the floor is a flat plane as opposed to an incline. This affords the passengers a ride similar to an elevator, except that the car proceeds up and down at an angle.
“Funiculars are more prevalent in western European countries, such as Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, and Italy, where a solution to traversing remote, steep inclines is needed. Conditions under which funiculars have been installed in these countries are similar to those present on College Hill. In the United States, funiculars have not been made mainstream, but their prevalence is growing. They have become indispensable at locations such as golf courses, alpine resorts, senior citizen communities, and even private homes.”
The advantages of a funicular are speed, visual appeal, and potential as a visitor attraction, the report adds.
The group also analyzed the flow of traffic along Cattell Street on College Hill and conducted research that included meetings with two Pennsylvania Department of Transportation engineers, Patrolman Alan Legath of the Easton Police Department’s Traffic Division, Barbara Kowitz, city planner for Easton, and the College Hill Neighborhood Association. The report discusses the cost, benefits, and drawbacks of several option to slow traffic, including traffic signals, median islands, bulb-outs on corners, raised intersections, raised crosswalks/speed tables, and textured pavement.
Students already outlined these options at a meeting of the College Hill Neighborhood Association, which has favored raised intersections. An anticipated ten-minute presentation swelled into a discussion lasting over two hours and continuing with individuals after the meeting concluded, notes Bauer.
A second Technology Clinic will give a midyear report on ways to connect alumni with the College noon Monday, May 17, in the Kirby Hall of Civil Rights auditorium.
The students are Dyan Argento ’05 (Pittsburgh, Pa.), a double major in history and German; Jillian Carpenter ’05 (East Windsor, N.J.), a government and law major; Josh Garber ’06 (Staten Island, N.Y.); Matt Grossman ’05(Wayne, N.J), an anthropology and sociology major; Charise Logan ’05(Pembroke Pines, Fla.), who is pursuing a B.S. in mechanical engineering and B.A. with a major in international economics and commerce; Brendan O’Regan ’06 (Ringwood, N.J.), a government and law major; and Kathryn Sayles ’05 (West Chester, Pa.), a biology major.
The students are advised by Bauer and Larry Malinconico, associate professor of geology and environmental geosciences.