MOUNT VERNON — Mobility Manager Joe Porter updated Mount Vernon City Council members on transportation in Knox County at the Monday night meeting.
Porter works on transportation and mobility for seniors, people with disabilities, and “anybody who’s in need of a resource.”
“I don’t give rides, but I do try to put resources together,” he said.
Porter said he spent 12 hours at the Ohio Statehouse last week, talking with representatives and senators about transportation.
“I’m very passionate about what I’m doing and trying to make things better.”
mobility manager joe porter
“I had a very awesome meeting with Rep. Lear, Rep. Hiner, and their legislative aides,” he said. “I’m trying to talk them into creating a task force.
“There are some ways out there to help people pay for transportation, but we’ve got to get them to recognize that and free up some money.”
A Transportation Advisory Committee guides Porter’s work. The TAC meets quarterly and serves as the city’s advisory committee.
Porter said the county’s active transportation program will likely roll into the TAC as well.
“Basically, what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to get a bunch of groups that are … doing their own thing … coordinated and working together,” he said.
Out-of-county transport for seniors
“We have a big problem in the county with folks, particularly seniors, who are trying to get to out-of-county medical appointments. It gets very expensive,” Porter said.
“Riding around in the county is relatively inexpensive.”
Porter said that if someone hitches a ride or schedules with The Station Break, a round-trip medical appointment in Columbus costs around $30.
“Everything else is going to cost you anywhere from $100 to $200 for a round trip. If I’m a senior on a limited income, that’s kind of tough to do,” he told the council.
“I’m not trying to make waves or anything, but I am trying to make people aware that there are people out there that don’t use cars.”
mobility manager joe porter
Porter, along with Knox County Job & Family Services and other organizations, built a program to get funding to help lower-income individuals get to their appointments.
“We made an application to United Way for a little bit of funding to do a pilot program on that, but we found out today we didn’t get the funding. So we’re going to be looking at other avenues,” Porter said.
“We’ve got a number of service organizations around the county, so I’m sure they’re hopefully going to be able to help out.”
Cycling Without Age
The Cycling Without Age program now has three trishaws, along with a trailer to move them throughout the county.
“All that funding came from basically word-of-mouth donations. We have not done any fundraisers for that program. It’s just this one heard about it, that one heard about it, and the money came all together,” Porter said.
Made in Copenhagen, Denmark, the trishaws have a front seat for individuals who cannot pedal.
The local program, Happy Spokes, was established in April 2025. Happy Spokes is an affiliate of the international Cycling Without Age.
Porter said the program provides a way for individuals who are unable to get out and about to enjoy the bike trails, the city, and the villages.
Sidewalks
TAC member Ron Roberts heads up Project Sidewalk.
“We’re using that program to try to find some spots around where there are problems with sidewalks, and then we can do walking audits of those sidewalks and kind of confirm that,” Porter explained.
Porter is working to get the word out to businesses, residents, and the police to clean off the sidewalks.
“I’ve seen folks in wheelchairs rolling down Coshocton Avenue because they can’t get on the sidewalks,” he said. “It’s going on everywhere, and it’s really hard, especially when you have big snow, but we need to think about those things.”
One thing Porter said people do not think about is how they park in relation to a sidewalk.
“A few years ago we put that nice sidewalk up there on North Mulberry, before you get to Belmont, and it’s beautiful — except for the pickup trucks and the cars and everybody that’s parked on the sidewalk,” he said.
“That doesn’t help our folks. We think about walking, but a lot of times we don’t think about the folks that are in wheelchairs. … They need that sidewalk to negotiate.”
He referenced people who put their wheels against a sidewalk without a parking stop.
“But they forget about that 2 feet of car that’s hanging over the sidewalk,” he said. “If I’m in a wheelchair or if I’m walking, or if I’m using a walker, I can’t get through.”
Porter highlighted other transportation updates:
•Centerburg received a grant to build a trail connector from Country Pointe nursing facility to the Heart of Ohio Trail.
•Knox County Transit modified its routes and added a route south of the river.
Monday night’s legislative action
Council members gave a second reading to an ordinance establishing an executive administrator position for public utilities and code enforcement departments.
Safety-Service Director Tanner Salyers said both departments need an administrator because directors and assistant directors are doing administrative work.
Otherwise, Salyers said, they would be “more boots on the ground or they would be doing more mission-centric work.”
Council members took the following additional actions:
•Approved legislation to apply for a brownfield remediation program for the State Route 13 realignment and justice center.
•Passed a resolution to contract with ODOT North Sandusky/Upper Fredericktown Road CORPO project
•Approved legislation to bid and award a qualifications-based contract for design services for the North Sandusky/Upper Fredericktown Road project.
•Adopted an ordinance creating the position of city clerk and amending the city code relating to Fats, Oils and Greases
•Waived the third reading and approved applying for a Safe Routes to School grant for Phases 2 and 3 of safety improvements on Martinsburg Road
•Gave a second reading to legislation to bid and award a qualifications-based firm for design services for Phases 2 and 3
•Waived the three readings and approved disposing of unneeded equipment and paying bills
•Gave a first reading to an ordinance establishing compensation and benefits for a community development/PIO position (See PDF below)
•Gave a first reading on legislation authorizing the city to issue up to $29 million in notes for the new police station