A dirt patch remains out front of New Life Church on Harcourt Road after AEP Ohio's wooden pads were removed following their transmission line work. Credit: Jack Slemenda

MOUNT VERNON — Large wooden pads sat for months along the southbound side of Harcourt Road just outside downtown Mount Vernon.

AEP Transmission left the pads out front of the various businesses after completing a phase of the Mount Vernon Transmission Line Rebuild Project.

The project has been in the works since 2022, according to AEP Ohio media relations.

The reason the pads sat so long, despite AEP completing its phase of several weeks earlier, was to allow other third-party companies to do their own work.

“The transmission component of the project finished earlier this summer. Following that, AEP Ohio’s distribution crews, who are responsible for delivering power to homes and businesses, completed their work,” AEP Ohio media relations said.

“The last stage of construction for this phase of the project was for other third parties who use our transmission and distribution poles to attach their equipment. One example of these third parties would be telecom companies who attach fiberoptic cable to our poles.”

AEP media relations stated that its crews determined it would be easier to leave the pads for other companies to use for their part in the project.

Additionally, AEP’s right-of-way agents talked with property owners and made the necessary arrangements to leave the wooden pads and other equipment on the sites.

Today, driving down Harcourt Road, the only remnant of the wooden pads is the rectangular dirt patches marking where they were, and a few miscellaneous construction items.

Pictured is a leftover dirt patch after the removal of AEP Ohio’s wooden pads at the base of a transmission pole out front of New Life Church on Harcourt Road. Credit: Jack Slemenda

More on the transmission line project

For more information on the Mount Vernon Transmission Line Rebuild Project, check out the PDF below provided by AEP Ohio’s media relations team.

Delaware's newsman. Ohio University alum. I go fishing and admire trucks when I take my wordsmith hat off. Got a tip? Send me an email at jack@delawaresource.com.