To see the issues Huntington residents face on a daily basis in their Huntington experience, city officials joined Marshall University students for over an hour Wednesday evening for a Walk with the Mayor event.

Walk with the Mayor, now entering its fifth year, provides Huntington residents with the opportunity to walk Mayor Steve Williams and other city officials around their neighborhoods to show them first-hand the issues residents see every day.

Wednesday’s Walk with the Mayor included Williams, fire chief Jan Rader, policemen, Public Works officials and other city workers.

Williams said that walks like these are ways he and the city are trying to connect Marshall students to the city of Huntington, specifically downtown.

“Everything we’ve been doing has been to connect campus to downtown,” Williams said.

Other ways the mayor has been attempting to make that bridge from campus to Pullman more inviting include the placement of the Visual Arts Center and the demolition of the Flats on Fourth.

Rader also took the time to walk the city to discuss potential safety hazards and initiatives the fire department have been taking to make the city safer for residents and students alike, such as the destruction of the Flats on Fourth.

“We have had multiple fires in here over the past few years. That’s the kind of thing that keeps a fire chief up at night,” Rader said. “It’s not only a danger to the firefighters that respond, or the police officers that respond or those that are hiding in there or utilizing the vacant spot, it’s also a hazard to the citizens.”

Rader spoke about the potential the spot holds for the city.

“To me, this is a prime location to build something better and wonderful for Marshall students as well as the citizens,” Rader said. “So, this coming down just makes my day.”

Trey Delida can be contacted at [email protected].