By Cheryl Splain, KnoxPages.com Reporter
MOUNT VERNON — The county commissioners have agreed in principle to grant an easement to Ohio Cumberland Gas Co. for installation of a gas pipeline on Fairgrounds Road. The line will extend from 781 Fairgrounds Road, the former Seventh-day Adventist bookstore, to about 400 Fairgrounds Road.
Mark Ramser of Ohio Cumberland Gas told the commissioners on Thursday that the 3-inch plastic pipe will run parallel to Fairgrounds Road on the north side. It will be buried 3 feet deep. The pipeline easement will extend 60 feet from the center of Fairgrounds Road.
The county will receive 50 cents a foot for the right-of-way easement. The commissioners forwarded the contract to the Knox County Prosecutor’s office for review.
Ramser is requesting a similar easement from other landowners located between 781 Fairgrounds Road and 400 Fairgrounds Road. He plans to install the pipeline before the 2017 heating season starts.
Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer also spoke with the commissioners on Thursday. Before going into executive session to discuss personnel, Shaffer told the commissioners he was going to talk with counsel from the Public Defender Office about scheduling their visits to the jail. Shaffer said that consultation space is limited, and when several attorneys are visiting clients at the same time, space and privacy are issues.
The Knox County Jail population stands at 96: 82 male and 14 female. Three are prisoners from Lawrence County; one is federal. Due to consistently high population rates, Shaffer said he was going to talk with Chief Roger Monroe of the Mount Vernon Police Department about the possibility of MVPD officers simply issuing a summons rather than making an arrest in certain low-level misdemeanors.