MOUNT VERNON — Late last month, the Knox County commissioners formally approved buying two parcels on the city’s west side for a new transit facility.
The county will pay the Knox County Land Reutilization Corp., aka Knox County Land Bank, $200,000 for the lots at 503 W. High and 7-9 N. Norton St. The land bank bought the Norton Street parcel in January for $350,000 and the High Street lot in June 2021 for $500,000.
The closing is set for Oct. 31.
Knox County Sheriff’s Office
As of Sept. 29, the jail population was 62 males and 20 females. Ten females are housed in Morrow or Muskingum counties.
Sheriff David Shaffer reported the annual jail inspection on Sept. 28 went well. The jail scored 100% on the essential items. The suggestion was made to add a medical treatment form as part of the inmate booking procedure.
Keeping in mind future retirements of current personnel, Capt. Jay Sheffer is gathering information on a third-party medical physician for the jail. The ability to provide weekend coverage and some mental health services are considerations.
Shaffer said the KCSO is working with the Mount Vernon Police Department on a grant for an armored vehicle. He noted this was already being discussed before the recent Wilhelm brothers incident.
Shaffer said photos and blueprints have been submitted for jail renovations but has no new information from the state.
Water and wastewater
Mapping water leaks is ongoing. Superintendent Jeff Pickrell reported the county saved over $100,000 by using county staff and equipment for some of the work.
The new system can pinpoint leaks within a 300-foot location and enables staff to monitor homes with high usage. Crew members will visit homeowners if high usage is detected to ensure there are no unusual circumstances.
“Our water loss has significantly decreased. … Hopefully this is another tool that will keep our water loss at 20% or under,” Pickrell said.
“This is a project that clearly without ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] funding it would be way too expensive to do,” County Administrator Jason Booth said.
Memorial Building
The commissioners awarded the bid for Memorial Building HVAC upgrades to Modern Builders on Oct. 4. The engineer’s estimate was $1,160,000.
Modern Builders’ bid was $1,264.790. Shrock Premier Custom Construction’s bid was $1,274.999.
The upgrades are an ARPA project.
