MOUNT VERNON — Last week, the Knox County Commissioners designated $300,000 in American Rescue Plan money for the Mount Vernon Arts Consortium.
The Woodward Opera House, Ariel-Foundation Park, and Knox Memorial make up the consortium.
“They have all seen significant losses during Covid,” Commissioner Teresa Bemiller said. “Hopefully this will help them get to the point where they can start having events.”
“That is what this is for, and since we’ve already done something for small business, this is the next step,” Commissioner Thom Collier said.
“With the number of people downtown on First Friday and Fourth of July, people are chomping at the bit to get back together again,” Commissioner Bill Pursel said. “We expect a lot of exciting events to come to town.”
The $300,000 is the full amount that the consortium board requested.
In a letter to the commissioners, Jennifer Odenweller, board chair, noted that while Knox County has weathered many storms over the years as a smaller, tight-knit rural community, the ripple effect of lost destination-based revenue from COVID-19 is seen and felt at all levels.
“Visitors are more than simply ‘heads in beds,’” she wrote. “Visitors enhance economic vitality and community vibrancy felt along our streets, in our parks, on area college campuses, in our art galleries, and in area shops and restaurants. Visitors choose to spend their financial resources in our cozy rural county when they choose to invest their time here.”
Odenweller acknowledged that the pandemic afforded the consortium time to think, plan, assess, and develop solid infrastructure, but now it is time for the three venues to open to larger gatherings.
“… Multiple years of significant renovation and technical investment in these three venues brought the community to the point of being almost ready to welcome even larger crowds before the pandemic hit,” she wrote. “While facilities have been semi-operational with safety protocols, tourism development opportunities came to a grinding halt. At present, a few final steps need to be taken at each venue in order to make long-term goals a reality, and we respectfully ask for your support to make that possible.
“This investment will help us get over the last few hurdles to assist the three venues with project elements that were not possible due to lost resources and lack of visitors for more than a year.”
Odenweller told Knox Pages on Monday that the board is taking a high-level look at how it will spend the money. Initiatives include an effort to create an 18-month cycle of artists and engagements and, in turn, creating a marketing strategy that maximizes outreach for all three venues. Another plan is to enhance system networks between the venues.
“Right now, we are doing some assessment to see what makes the most sense,” she said. “It’s a great partnership with the commissioners, and we are extremely appreciative that the commissioners are willing to think about bolstering the arts community.”
Water/Wastewater
The commissioners also formally approved ARP money for several water and wastewater projects.
Following up on the list presented to the commissioners in June, Water/Wastewater Superintendent Jeff Pickrell returned with concrete numbers for the projects. Phase 1 will cost $1.038 million and includes installing 12 pump station generators, plant telemetry upgrades, and water loss evaluation/monitoring.
“These are all projects that will benefit people in Apple Valley and provide them security,” Commissioner Teresa Bemiller said.
Of the generators, County Administrator Jason Booth said, “That would be a huge safety net to all of the customers.”
Pickrell said that all of the projects are ready to be put out for bid.
The commissioners also approved $1.76 million for upgrading the Pleasant View Acres (PVA) sewer plant (56 lots, 49 houses), extending sewer to Amity (52 houses), and sludge disposal at Pleasant Valley Acres. PVA is located just south of Amity.
“When you talk about these being generational projects, that’s what they are,” Booth said. “We couldn’t do it if we had to take on debt to do the project because the cost would be so high to the customer.”
Extending sewer to Amity ranks #3 on Knox Public’s Health list of concerns. The commissioners eliminated KPH’s #1 concern, a centralized sewer system to Knox Lake, due to its $11.36 million price tag. Instead, the commissioners are looking into a decentralized (on site) system for that area.
