Ironwood miners mural takes hit during storm

IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Miners Memorial Mural on McLeod Avenue was a victim of Friday's snowstorm.

The Ironwood Public Safety Department received a 7 a.m. Friday report that a loader machine had slid through the intersection at Suffolk Street and struck the wall, creating quite a bit of damage.

The loader operator, Aaron Tarnaski, 35, of Ironwood, drives for Cloverland Motors and Excavating, according to an IPSD report. The company's insurance representative was to be contacted regarding the damages.

The bucket of the machine struck the lower center part of the wall, damaging tiles with miners' names below the mural and cracking the bottom part of the miners' portrait.

Department of public works foreman Bob Richards notified the IPSD of the damage to the mural wall, which was unveiled on June 16, 2012.

The artists, Kelly Meredith and Sue Martinsen, spent more than four years researching and painting the popular mural, which includes more than 100 area miners.

The IPSD was waiting for more information Monday to complete the accident report.

There were a few other accidents during Friday's storm that dumped 10 inches of snow, but all were considered minor.

An accident occurred around 11 a.m. Friday on four-lane Cloverland Drive when the driver of a vehicle went to change lanes and the car struck another vehicle near the Lawrence Street intersection. The driver of the first vehicle said she could not see the other car.

A driver taking a corner too sharp, striking a parked vehicle, and a backing accident were also investigated during the storm.

-Ralph Ansami