More than 200 Mount Vernon customers had their water shut off for nonpayment of bills; Mathias Orndorf, the city’s utilities director, said.
Water bills must be paid in full to restore service.
Many customers said they did not get their water bill yet, Orndorf said. The city mailed them on Oct. 1.
Utilities crews had to remove some trees in the easement on Pine Street and Martinsburg Road. One tree had grown over the sanitary sewer manhole cover, creating a danger.
Mayor
Emergency Business Grants of up to $10,000 and administered through the Area Development Program have been awarded to 10 Knox County businesses, Mayor Matt Starr said. Federal CARES Act monies funded the grant program.
The $300,000 revolving local loan fund awarded 12 loans.
Starr said the city hoped other businesses will want to apply for grants and loans because the funds aren’t doing any good unused.
The mayor praised organizers at Riverside Recovery Services of Knox County for work on the Seasons of Change Fall Fling set for Oct. 25 from 3-6 p.m. The organization provides a safe place for people in recovery to make their way back into the community.
Engineering
A contractor will begin milling Eastmore Drive Monday morning. Residents should not park on the street Monday or Tuesday.
Crews should be putting down the fresh asphalt on Tuesday, City Engineer Brian Ball said. Homeowners were given flyers by the Water Department explaining the work. Residents will need to work with crews to get in and out of their driveways.
“We don’t want somebody to drive right behind the paver because they’ll sink right in,” Hall said.
Concrete has been installed at the South Main Bike Trail underpass, though some of it still needs time to cure. Sign installation remains. The project will be completed between Oct. 23 and Oct. 30.
A planned water shutdown at Upland Terrace went as scheduled Friday morning. The water already was restored, with a boil water advisory continuing until noon or later Saturday.
Parks & Streets
City crews have “spent quite a bit of time removing some log jams from the Madison Street ditch and under the High Street bridge to prevent flooding,” Starr said.
The last storm that came through sent a lot of debris downstream, clogging local tributaries.