MOUNT VERNON — It was all hands on deck when the 24-hour snow emergency hit Mount Vernon Dec. 13 and 14.
Director of Public Works Tom Hinkle said the city created work schedules on Dec. 12 based on weather predictions. Fortunately, the predictions proved accurate.
“We set up a schedule for five of our staff members to come in at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and they were to work a 10-hour shift until midnight,” he said. “The second group of five more staff members were going to work from midnight until 10 a.m. or maybe a little bit longer if needed.”
Hinkle said the first shift was to keep the streets as safe and passable as possible while the snow fell. Unfortunately, the first shift was unable to reach many of the residential areas.
The second shift plowed the snow off the streets, including most of the residential areas.
“We were in a Level 2 here in Knox County for most of the time, but obviously that first shift from 2 p.m. until midnight, there was a lot of traffic out on the roads,” Hinkle said. “It does slow them down to get to all the different streets, but it worked out.”
The public buildings and lands crew came in on Sunday to clear sidewalks on Public Square and in front of city-owned buildings.
Cemetery workers cleaned up the cemetery early Monday morning so people could visit the graves.
The parks department helped clear parking lots and sidewalks at the parks. They also cleared a section of bike trail between Memorial Park and Ariel-Foundation Park.
“Everybody did an exceptional job. They’ve always been great sticking around as long as we need them to help get our streets safe, and they put in some long hours during this time of year, so we’re appreciative.”
tom hinkle, director of public works
Residents urged to report yard or mailbox damage
Workers accrued about 110 hours of overtime and used approximately 250 tons of salt.
“That’s the other problem with a storm like that, where it’s eight hours of snowfall, not one big huge snowfall, and then it stops.
You’re making several passes, and it doesn’t seem like you’re getting anywhere, but you are,” Hinkle said. “But quite a bit of salt got used.”
Hinkle said with a storm such as the one over the weekend, crews might damage residents’ yards or hit mailboxes.
“If anybody got their yards torn up, call our street department and let us know. We have a list started, and we’ll come back and repair these areas,” he said.
Hinkle noted that if a mailbox sustains damage from snow thrown off a plow, the city is not liable to replace it.
However, if a plow hits a mailbox or pushes snow into a mailbox, damaging it, the city is liable.
Hinkle reminded residents to move their cars off the street in snow emergencies to avoid getting blocked in.
He also reminded residents the city has moved to winter hours for the parks. That means, except for the Harmony Playground restroom in Memorial Park and the splash pad restroom in Riverside Park, all restrooms are closed for the winter.
City works toward 60% design on wastewater treatment plant
Public Utilities Director Aaron Reinhart said the city has 30% of the design completed to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant.
Ohio Water Development Authority financing will enable the city to reach 60% design.
“Our next step will be 60% design, and then at that time, we’ll file for a permit to install through the EPA, bring them on board and start working forward with them,” Reinhart said.
“Once we hit the 90% mark, you’re pretty much done, and pretty much a month after that we’ll be breaking ground.”
Reinhart anticipates breaking ground in October of 2026.
The city has advertised for a Request for Qualifications for a design engineer at the water treatment plant. Reinhart said the plan is to do an overview of the whole plant.
“We’re at 25 years on that facility. It’s time to start looking at upgrades, and things are wearing out. It’s been running 24/7 since we went online,” Reinhart said.
Upgrades include:
•Lime silos
•Slackers (the equipment that feeds the lime into the water)
•A storage tank on the city’s south side (flow modeling through the distribution system will determine location)
•Exploring switching to sodium hypochlorite to fix the washout problem (EPA approvals required)
Crews have repaired several leaks stemming from the cold weather. Reinhart asked residents who experience discolored water to call his office at 740-393-9504.
Workers will respond and flush the hydrants.
City council members approved replacing a section of sewer line on Mansfield Avenue. The project includes removing trees, which will start as soon as the weather breaks.
Reinhart said engineering will bid the project with an anticipated start date in mid-April.
Arch Park improvements on 2026 capital improvements list
Mayor Matt Starr said Arch Park improvements are on the 2026 capital improvements list.
A new salt barn is under construction at the street department on Old Delaware Road, and crews will work on New Gambier Road.
“The sides of the road are kind of crumbling, and we need to make those a little safer,” Starr said. “We’ll be using some stormwater funds for that.”
New concession stands at Memorial Park are also planned in time for spring ball.
“With that, we’re going to have to run all new utilities, including electric, sewer, water, all of that,” the mayor said.
“After the spring and summer league is done, that’s when we are going to shut down the ball fields. Fall ball will be somewhere else.”
Recreation Director Jeff Derr is working with the leagues on a finding a location(s) for fall ball.
Plans continue for City Hall to move to 236 S. Main St.
“I wanted to be in there by the end of the year, but obviously it just didn’t happen. The sooner we can get vacated out of this building, 40 Public Square, we can start making this place available for the court so we can pull people off of the 3rd floor over at the Plaza Building,” Starr said.
“That’s my number one priority, to empty that building as safely and quickly as possible.”
Starr noted that the Ohio Legislature is meeting Dec. 17 to discuss whether there will be a capital budget. If there will be, he said the city has park projects it will submit for funding.
Projects include new light, equipment, and pavilions.