MOUNT VERNON — City officials and neighborhood residents met Tuesday evening to review final priorities for a West End improvement project.
The meeting capped six meetings where residents highlighted problems, discussed solutions, and prioritized responses.
The neighborhood includes West High Street, Greenwood Avenue, Dike Road, and Lewis Street.
The $2.91 million project includes new sidewalks, enhancements to Riverside Park, and sanitary sewer, stormwater, and street repairs.
Beech Alley and North Adams Street will receive new sanitary sewer lines, and West Sugar Street residents will see improvements to pavement and stormwater.
The city will install sidewalks on five east-west streets and four north-south streets.
Riverside Park enhancements include pickleball courts and playground equipment.
Residents’ reactions
Maude and Charles Proper are happy with the proposed improvements. They said the city has listened to the residents’ comments throughout the meetings.
Sugar Street residents for 17 years, the couple has problems with the sewer system and stormwater drainage.
“In August, we noticed water in the basement,” Maude said, adding that it led to a costly replacement of lines and pipes.
“On top of everything else, we have an abandoned sewer line in our yard that needs plugged and removed,” she added. “If [the city] can help with that, that will be great.”
Ross Hines, who attended all six meetings, was interested in the sidewalks.
“My wife is disabled, and it is very dangerous for her to be in the street,” he said.
“There are some north-south streets without any sidewalks. East-west streets have them, but they are in bad condition,” the Sugar Street resident continued. “Normally it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to fix them, but that’s difficult on a limited budget.”
Catherine Hayes and Clayton Christopher bought their West Burgess Street home in 2021.
“I’ve told a lot of people about these meetings,” Hayes said. “Everyone’s listening to what we say, and they are explaining it in layman’s terms.”
“Everything on the map [of improvements] is our suggestions,” agreed Christopher.
Funding the West End improvement project
The city will apply for a $750,000 Neighborhood Revitalization Grant to help cover the cost of the $2.91M project.
Grant applications are due on June 12. The city scheduled a public hearing at City Hall on Thursday, June 4, at 1 p.m. Residents can review and comment on the project before city officials submit it to the Ohio Department of Development.
The city will start design work in the fall. If ODOD approves the grant, crews will complete the work between January 2025 and August 2026.
