Winter weather has pushed the Kokosing River restoration project back to early March instead of the contractor's expected start on Monday, Feb. 22, but that allows the City to prepare public education materials about the project.
Mayor Matt Starr said the City is working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on public education under an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency grant. Those efforts will include fact sheets and public meetings.
"That will include walking tours, kayak and canoe tours, river cleanups which we do every year already anyway, and then some field days and workshops," Starr told the Mount Vernon News on Friday.
The City will explain the benefits of not only environmental sustainability with the river restoration project but also the social and economic sustainability.
Fire Department
Last week's ice training in Ariel-Foundation Park allowed the Mount Vernon Fire Department to work with the Blandesburg, Homer and Monroe Fire Departments.
"This is extremely important because we have mutual aid with each other," the mayor said. "And so the more that these guys can work together and understand the shorthand on these emergencies, the better. It was cold but a perfect day for this."
Public Works
"We've been having some salt-supply shortages," Starr said. "It's not just us, it's everywhere. So we had to mix it with a No. 9 gravel."
Public Works crews spread 180 tons of the gravel-and-salt mixture between Feb. 15 and 18 as they worked 209 hours of overtime.
Two-man crews worked 12 hours on Feb. 15 for complete 24-hour coverage. With the work on Feb. 16, crews spent 40 hours working on city streets. Public Works employees and a few Water Department drivers covered the shifts. On Feb. 18, another snow event brought five drivers to work at 3:30 a.m.
They continued working on Feb. 19, with the Parks Department removing snow from piles on city-owned properties.
"We're expecting a big thaw; and the more we can get out of there, the less issues we have to worry about the water melting and then refreezing and causing other problems," Starr said.
Shade Tree and Beautification Commission
Five trees on the Public Square are scheduled to be cut down and other trees trimmed from hanging over roadways and parking spaces. Dr. James Brown, the chair of the Shade Tree and Beautification Commission, helped create educational videos about each tree, covering the purpose of the commission and providing botanical information about the Public Square.
In March, a contractor will take the trees down and harvest the wood so it can be repurposed. Demonstrations will be given on planking methods.
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