By Cheryl Splain, KnoxPages.com Reporter
MOUNT VERNON — Mayor Richard Mavis told City Council on Monday that for all practical purposes, the cleanup of the former American National Can property is complete.
There is still some grading to do, and the area needs mowed, debris cleaned up and an area north of the concrete pad needs leveled. Mavis said there is some grant money left to help cover these costs; he also asked owner Rio Tinto for an additional $15,000 to cover these costs.
Mavis is working with Jeff Harris, director of the Area Development Foundation, to market the land to developers. Of the 44 acres, the city will retain 16 acres. It is anticipated the remaining acreage will support three different manufacturing facilities. The city can either sell directly to an interested buyer or sell the acreage to the ADF for a nominal fee with the proviso that when the ADF sells the land to a developer, the city is paid part of the purchase price. Mavis said some of the existing fence can be retained for security and plans are to erect concrete barricades to keep vehicles out and reduce dumping.
The state Clean Ohio Fund contributed $1.5 million toward the $2.5 million cleanup project. On Thursday, two representatives from Clean Ohio visited the project to view the results.
Mavis explained that Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s administration is rerouting money from Clean Ohio to Jobs Ohio and its focus on job creation. “We were fortunate to get our project funded. It’s one of the last projects to be funded by Clean Ohio,” he said.
Mavis said that he received good news from the Bureau of Underground Storage Tanks about the contaminated underground tank found on West High Street. BUST cannot determine who owns the tank and therefore will not hold the city responsible for it. That eliminates the city’s need to drill and test wells over several years and allows the sidewalk project to resume shortly.
In its legislative session, council approved the reappointment of Gail Labenne to the Historical Review Commission and the transfer of funds between accounts.