MOUNT VERNON — Area Development Foundation Vice President Jeff Gottke spent half an hour seeking to convince Mount Vernon City Council to adopt a plan for improving the appearance of the Central Business District and City Engineer Brian Ball sought to convince Council to authorize hiring a consulting firm to get some good estimates about the cost of possible plans for rerouting Ohio 13.
Ball explained that they need firm figures for both property acquisition and for construction before they can properly evaluate alternative options.
They also heard a local resident, Andrew Pike, who is also an engineer, argue that both options under consideration lead eventually to poorer performance at several intersections and they should instead consider the option that called for building a new bridge over the Kokosing River.
He was asked to set up a meeting with Ball so his thoughts on the project could be considered by the consultants.
Ball will also meet with the owner of the downtown Domino’s about concerns he has with the project.
Council did give emergency approval to a resolution authorizing a contract for engineering services and design for the Ohio 13 project.
On a related subject, Council authorized the purchase of rights of way on Sandusky Street in the Belmont Avenue area for the safety project in an area where, Ball said, there are simply too many driveway entrances.
He said they need to get moving on the project following delays caused by a disagreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation over cost estimates.
Gottke spent his time selling the the downtown appearance plan.
He primarily talked about the east, west and south entrances to the downtown area, as well as the study’s conception of a redesigned Public Square.
He showed how the Square could be made safer by narrowing the street to one lane, which would still allow trucks to move through, and give wider walk areas around the square, and filled in corners were safer parking could be created while eliminating the angled parking around the square.
At each entrance to downtown he showed images of more natural areas and plantings, use of artwork and seating to encourage a more “walkable” downtown. He said the plan is aimed at creating a better image of downtown Mount Vernon, with something for everyone and more activity going on all the time.
On the east entrance to downtown, on East High Street at Park Street, which has long been a headache because of trucks heading out High instead of following U.S. 36 up Park Street to Coshocton Road, Gottke said the study suggests curb extensions to narrow the street to one lane each way, plus a center turn lane, plus plantings and landscaping to reinforce the image that the street is not a truck route.
He also showed conceptions of how alleys downtown could be adapted as pedestrian and bicycle routes.
Gottke will be back at the April 8 Council meeting to make his third presentation, this one focusing more on how the project, projected over a period of about 10 years, could be accomplished.