MOUNT VERNON — City Council members hope to win a $47,681 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources that they can use to improve Arch Park.
Initial improvements listed in the NatureWorks application are family restrooms, a drinking fountain, and a parking lot. The estimated cost is $250,000.
City Engineer Brian Ball said that the city hopes to receive private donations to help offset the expense. The city will have to budget for the remainder.
On Tuesday, the city sent letters to nearly 400 addresses between Sandusky and Fountain streets and West High Street and Arch Avenue.
The survey seeks community input on flood mitigation; sidewalks, roads, street lighting, and other infrastructure issues; and public transit, health, and food accessibility.
Additionally, it aims to gather feedback on what improvements residents want in Arch Park.
“We want the people that would most likely utilize this park to have the first input on what would go in that park,” Safety-service Director Tanner Salyers said, adding that Ariel-Foundation Park and Captain Hunter’s Landing are regional destination parks.
“You’re probably not going to get a whole lot of people traveling from other places to come to Arch Park. That’s truly a neighborhood park, so the people that really deserve the most input on what needs to go in that park are the people that live right next to it.”
Previous feedback shows restrooms rank high on residents’ wants.
The city plans to replicate the new restrooms recently installed adjacent to Harmony Playground in Memorial Park.
The city would undertake the improvements in 2026.
About the Nature \Works grant
The city shares the NatureWorks grant with the county and alternates with the Knox County Park District in applying for the grant.
It was not the city’s turn to apply. However, no other jurisdiction had a project, so city administration officials decided to apply rather than leave the money on the table.
A June 2 deadline left the city council with little time to process legislation.
The council could not suspend the rules on Tuesday and authorize the city to apply for the grant because two council members were absent.
Instead, they gave the legislation a first read and will submit the grant without that documentation. If the council approves the grant application at its next meeting, the city will amend its application to include the documentation.
“We’re hoping that our performance record and our relationship with ODNR gives us a grace period to have that turned in after the next council meeting,” Ball said.
If ODNR awards the grant, council members have three additional opportunities to weigh in on the Arch Park project:
•During the 2026 budget process
•When authorizing the city to solicit bids
•When accepting the grant money
“Again, as we work through the public involvement, we may make this a bigger project because we did plan through these budget cycles to reinvest in some of the parks that we have gotten behind on,” Ball said.
“So this is this is sort of the master plan coming to fruition.”
Salyers said other proposed amenities are significantly cheaper than the initial improvements.
“So even if this project were to creep up to say $500,000 as a total investment, you’re going to see a lot more amenities added over here. But this would be the big-ticket item,” he said of the restrooms.
AEP money available for Arch Park improvements
American Electric Power mandated that the city demolish a water fountain and pavilion as part of rebuilding its transmission lines.
AEP compensated the city for the structures because they had been in place for decades. AEP also compensated the city for shifting the easement slightly north.
Ball declined to give a number because the city has a nondisclosure agreement with the power company.
“We do have other money from AEP that’s deposited that can be hopefully allocated in next year’s budget,” he said.