MOUNT VERNON — Interim City Engineer Quentin Platt had good news Tuesday for drivers in Mount Vernon’s short north neighborhood.
The utility digs on North Main Street and North Sandusky Street are scheduled to be resurfaced next week.
“We don’t have an exact date in mind. With the weather, things could change,” Platt said at Tuesday’s bi-weekly press conference. “But that would result in a two-day closure for both of those [streets].”
Officials will completely close North Sandusky Street from Hamtramck Street to Burgess Street. The posted detour will be in effect those two days.
Platt said the city is working with the contractor to ensure local traffic can get where it needs to go.
North Main Street will also close between Hamtramck Street and Burgess Street. However, it will be a single-lane closure with a temporary traffic signal.
“Two-way traffic will still be available on North Main Street. You can go either direction. You’ll just have to stop at a temporary lane, depending on when you get there,” Platt said.
A one-lane closure is in effect on Upper Gilchrist Road while the Founders Grove development completes sanitary sewer work.
It is not a city closure, but Platt expects the road to open by the end of next week.
Until then, residents on Upper Gilchrist Road will still have to access Coshocton Avenue from Ohio 3 via Gilchrist Road or Paige Road.
Street department completes intersection upgrade, signal and stormwater repairs
Public Works Director Tom Hinkle said employees in the street department are busy with summer maintenance: mowing, sweeping, spraying, trash removal, pothole patching and grading the alleys.
Crews are also busy keeping the Hiawatha Water Park and splash pad operational through the season.
Workers repaired and returned to service a rapid flashing beacon on Martinsburg Road that was knocked down.
Additional, they completed the North Mulberry and Sugar Street intersection upgrade. Upgrades include adding a new signal controller, new signal heads, and audible pedestrian signals (APS).
“So they’re all in operation now, and that intersection is completely finished with its upgrade,” Hinkle said.
Hinkle congratulated John May, assistant director of the street department, who will retire at the end of the month.
The city completed several stormwater drainage repairs along Verndale Drive, replacing tile and culverts — including one location where a sinkhole had formed near a business entrance.
“We were able to replace some more culverts through there with the help of the landowners” Hinkle said. “They pitched in and helped with some of the costs to get that all buttoned up.”
Relating to the cemetery department, the city drafted an ordinance to create a scattering grounds at Mound View Cemetery. The grounds would give residents an option to scatter cremated remains rather than purchase a traditional grave site and headstone. The proposal is in its early stages as it moves toward city council.
In Public Buildings & Lands, staff are testing fire suppression sprinkler systems in city buildings.
They are also repairing flags, cleaning the fountain on Public Square, and converting to LED lights.
Water treatment plant upgrades, wastewater treatment plant design progressing
Engineering studies are underway to switch the water treatment plant’s disinfection process from chlorine dioxide to sodium hypochlorite. Public Utilities Director Aaron Reinhart said upgrading the plant’s existing line and boiler systems is also on tap.
“The treatment plan went online in 2000, and we’re at 2026. We’re going on 26 years old, and stuff’s starting to wear out,” he said.
Crews are hauling lime from the stockpile behind the street garage on Old Delaware Road. Reinhart said the city should clean up the stockpile this year, weather permitting.
At the wastewater treatment plant, upgrade design is progressing from 60 percent to 90 percent.
“Basically what that means is that at 60 percent, we know what equipment processes we’re going to be doing and using,” Reinhart said. “At the 90-percent mark, we figure out how to make the equipment processes work together. Each percentage you move up, you get more detail and design.”
Reinhart also anticipates getting the 60 percent guaranteed maximum price (GMP) this week plant upgrade.
“That’ll tell us where we are, and what we can expect to pay for that upgrade for the wastewater treatment plant,” he said.
The utilities department has begun mailing annual compliance letters to local businesses that use backflow prevention devices or fats, oils, and grease (FOG) traps.
Businesses are asked to register through the city’s OpenGov portal. The city will not charge any fees this year — registration is the priority. Permit fees for both programs will begin Jan. 1.
Meter replacement nears completion
Workers have replaced two-thirds of the meters in Operation H2Overhaul, the city’s meter replacement initiative. Reinhart said all meters will be changed out by the fall.
Crews will also install flow monitoring equipment throughout the collection system this summer to help reduce water infiltration and inflow.
“That’s the second portion of H2Overhaul. Hopefully we will complete that by late fall,” the director said.
Crews have also begun disconnecting buildings along the State Route 13 corridor on South Sandusky Street in preparation for the upcoming realignment project.
They also repaired West High Street at Riverside Park following a water main break and are filling in utility digs.
Reinhart encouraged residents to call the utility office if they know of a dig that needs repaired.
Billing staff will send out August bills soon and anticipate launching new billing software around April 2027.
Upcoming community events
Mayor Matt Starr reminded residents of several upcoming events:
• The Washington Forum, Tuesday, 6 p.m. at the Municipal Center. “This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land” is the topic. Speakers will talk about 250 years of immigration and assimilation.
• As part of America 250, “Bye Bye Birdie” will be shown at the Schnormeier Event Center at Ariel-Foundation Park on July 26 at 4 p.m.
• Knox County Fairy, July 25 to Aug. 1.
He also noted the city has 110 trash cans in its parks. Workers empty them on Friday and Monday.
“It takes a while for us to do that, so, any help from the patrons and people who use [the parks] to just make sure that they hit the trash can would be lovely,” he said.
