Mount Vernon residents may get to enjoy a fireworks display during an Independence Day celebration this year, as the City submitted its order for fireworks last week.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the need for social distancing prompted City officials to cancel the 2020 Fourth of July activities at Ariel-Foundation Park.
In 2019, an estimated 18,000 people attended the annual fireworks celebration.
Mass gatherings in Ohio remain banned, with Ohio Department of Health Director Stephanie McCloud keeping that rule in effect via a March 2 order. Approval of a third vaccine offers hope for summer gatherings.
Streets Department
The city begins street sweeping this week, Mayor Matt Starr said. The shortfall of salt required the city to add gravel in its road treatments for recent snowstorms.
“There’s a lot of it left over, and so we’ve got to basically sweep all that up and take it to a landfill,” he said.
Crews continued filling potholes with cold patch. Call 740-393-9501 to report potholes.
The department began preventative maintenance on traffic signals. Motorists will see staff testing them throughout the city.
Street Department crews are trimming trees to make sure that branches are not going to cause problems for trucks passing by.
“This was the first pay period of 2021 without any overtime or snow events,” Starr said.
Public Buildings and Lands
The lower level of City Hall has been repainted, a job Starr said was a long time coming.
“It looks really nice down there for community meetings in the basement,” he said.
Postponement of many senior activities at the Station Break building offered the chance to upgrade to LED lighting, which also was done at the income tax building and utilities offices. Lower energy costs and fewer bulb replacements are expected.
Installation of new thermostats at the Station Break building became necessary because even though the existing thermostats were programmable, the City saw energy waste. The new installations should also reduce HVAC service calls.
Mound View Cemetery’s spring cleanup is fast approaching.
“It’s very important for people who have winter decorations on all of the graves; they need to be removed before April 1,” Starr said.
Plantings on the west side need to be removed.
“Shepherd’s crooks are one of the things that are problematic for us because sometimes they fall over,” Starr said. “We don’t see them, and our lawn mowers run over them.”
Civil Service Commission
David Rigg worked under three mayors and multiple Civil Service Merit System administrators in his long service with the Civil Service Commission. But now he is ready to end his volunteer service, which began in 1995. The City honored him with a proclamation at its meeting Monday night.
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