Mount Vernon budgeted only about a third of the funds needed to meet the city’s street resurfacing requirements, which have been estimated at $1 million.
“The problem that we have with this year’s budget is that we only have $338,000 appropriated at this point in time,” Mayor Matt Starr said on Friday.
The Engineering Departments planned to bring the issue to City Council on Monday to identify priorities and examine what has been budgeted.
What has helped is getting $58,670.35 from the state in gas tax revenues.
“The governor and the Ohio General Assembly’s increase does help us out, because if we didn't have that we would be much further down in the hole,” he said.
The 2021 resurfacing project includes the following street sections and probable bid costs:
Calhoun Street from Sandusky to Mansfield, $61,973; Eastern Star Road, $205,978; East High Street, from George to Ringwalt, $186,695; East Pleasant Street, from Gay to dead end at Center Run Creek, 57,847; Trail at Ariel-Foundation Park, $104,535 through Nature Works Grant; Sharp Road, cost share for portions in city limits, $15,000; mobilization, all streets, $20,000.
Street Department
City workers put in 202.5 hours of overtime in clearing city streets of snow from Jan. 31 through Feb. 4, Starr said. The workers put down 178 tons of salt. The city recently received 150 tons of salt and ordered another 130 tons.
The city pushes snow out of the way and then removes it after the storm ends. When the storm ended on Feb. 2, the Parks Department came out to remove the snow and clear sidewalks including the public square.
Fire Department
During the cold winter months, Fire Chief Chad Christopher advises residents with wood-burning stoves to take care when removing ashes. They should be placed in a metal bucket and moved far from the home or outbuildings.
The fire chief also asked Mount Vernon residents to check on their neighbors during the cold temperatures.
A new program under development is a bike medic program.
Public Utilities
Digester No. 2 continued to fill after what might have been its first cleaning since its installation, Starr said.
The distribution and collection crews are working on a water leak on South Main Street. This was not the line that caused boil advisories but is connected to it.
Residents wanting to review the Water Consumer Confidence Report 2020 from the Water Department can find it by clicking the Documents Library tab on the City’s website (mountvernonohio.org/documents-library). The 2020 Sanitary Sewer Overflow Annual Report has also been posted.
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