MOUNT VERNON — The Knox County commissioners heard updates on parks and bike paths during their May 2 and May 4 sessions.
Parks Director Lori Totman said the park district spent $33,310 over the past four weeks to seal the Heart of Ohio Trail (HOOT) from Graham Road to Pittsburgh Avenue. Two sections of failed pavement around Mount Liberty were also replaced at a cost of just under $18,000.
Maintenance work continues at Brinkhaven Park. The district spent $3,500 on tree work, removing dead or dying trees and grinding stumps. Workers removed the first shelter and are upgrading the electric in the remaining shelter.
The Nature Conservancy has hired a design/construction team for removal of the low head dam. Plans call for the dam to be removed this year.
“The park is starting to look fairly nice again,” Totman said.
Other district enhancements include improving the driveway and culvert replacement at Honeyrun Highlands Park and waterfall (just over $18,350), reconfiguring the disc golf course with the help of a 50% matching grant from Rotary, and removing the split-rail fence on the HOOT where the trail crosses Clayton Street in Centerburg.
Totman said the location of the HOOT Midway Welcome Station is still being discussed.
The second annual TrailAPalooza for the Ohio to Erie Trail is set for June 24. Knox County’s HOOT, Kokosing Gap, and Mohican Valley trails are part of the Ohio to Erie Trail.
Centerburg and Mount Vernon observed the 2022 event, celebrating the completion of the .25-mile section that links the Knox, Licking, and Delaware county portions of the Ohio to Erie Trail. This year, Totman said, the event has gone countywide with Brinkhaven, Gann, Danville joining Mount Vernon and Centerburg.
“It really has gone statewide, which is what our hope was when we started this,” Totman told the commissioners on Tuesday. “It could end up being an entire weekend. How cool would that be across 326 miles of trail?”
Kokosing Gap Trail
KGT Board President Randy Cronk and Vice President Bryce Coffing updated the commissioners on Thursday on KGT activities.
The all-volunteer board, established in 1988, became a 501(c)(3) in 1989. Three of the current 18 board members are founding members.
The first section of trail opened in 1991. Over the past 19 years, the board has invested $1.6 million in the trail, an average of $83,000 a year.
“That’s not counting our labor,” Cronk said.
Projects include building shelters, repairing erosion, sealing the trail, replacing decking on bridges, installing water fountains, mowing ad landscaping, adding ADA-compliant amenities, renovating playgrounds, painting the caboose and locomotive in Gambier, and clearing thousands of trees and limbs.
Over the years, the board has worked with the park district, Knox Public Health, cities and villages, other trail boards, philanthropic foundations, and other entities. Recent activities include participating the Mount Vernon’s complete streets initiative and the trail town initiative through the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission.
As a cyclist who has cycled nationwide, Cronk said the KGT is “second to none.”
“We are committed to keeping the trail at a really high standard,” he said, adding that the KGT scores a 4.9 from reviewers.
“We’ve kind of been a trailblazer, and so we get calls from other trails asking ‘how do you do it?’”
Cronk said KGT volunteers will place township signs along the trail this month, but the signs will not necessarily be at the township line. Rather, they will be placed at road intersections to make maintenance easier.
He added that the KGT board will be updating its signs, adding tips and rules for using the trail. In addition, signage will be placed so it is more conducive for cyclists to read.
Cronk asked the commissioners for help covering the cost to repave the trail, which was last paved 17 or 18 years ago. He said the lifespan of asphalt is around 20 years; the lifespan might be extended since the KGT board has leveled bumps and sealed the trail.
Legislative action
The commissioners took the following actions the week of May 1:
•Proclaimed May as Mental Health Awareness Month
•Approved a Memorandum of Understanding between Knox County Job & Family Services and community partners to address child abuse and neglect
•Approved notice to bid for the Krause Road bridge design and build
•Approved Knox County Sheriff’s Food Cost Per Meal Report for April 2023: total costs of $11,833.78, total meals prepared of 6,470, and food cost per meal of $1.69
•Awarded bid for Knox County Soil & Water Conservation District drive and parking lot resurfacing to Small’s Asphalt Paving in the amount of $57,267.00; engineer’s Estimate is $76,771.00.
•Awarded bid for the Knox County Juvenile Probation and Adult Court Services parking lot improvements to Brennstuhl Construction in the amount of $116,532; engineer’s estimate is $119,890.00.
•Approved change order from Crawford Construction Company for Caves Road bridge replacement: decrease of $7,321.72, final contract amount of $296,066.94
•Approved Power of Attorney, Title Sheet, Exemption Certificate and Buyers Warranty Guide for Southeastern Equipment Company purchase of 2023 Eager Beaver Trailer (20XPT) for the Knox County Engineer’s Office
