MOUNT VERNON – A group of teens voiced their need for connectivity to Mount Vernon’s public parks and an improved skate park as consultants worked with them on master planning for city parks.
A focus group of teenagers met with MKC Architects at the Knox Learning Center on Sept. 7 and gave the city some information they hadn’t heard from other groups, Mayor Matt Starr told the Mount Vernon News. The teens offered input on things that only teenagers would would think of, he said.
One thing the teens wanted to see was connectivity to the parks.
“These young people are not going to drive their cars. ... They're going to skateboard. They're going to use their scooter. They're going to use their bicycle. They're going to walk. And so, having connectivity, the sidewalks or multi-use paths, is extremely important to them,” Starr said.
Interest in the skate park was “off the charts,” he said. They want a much safer, more respectable skate park that he was sure would be used every day, even in the winter.
More basketball courts and a place to fill up water bottles were other requests they had for the parks, Starr said.
Coshocton Avenue standing water not a leak
The wet spot on Coshocton Avenue in front of the tractor supply company is a storm water issue, Starr said.
“While we did repair a water line to one of the businesses over there, the wet spot in the middle of the road is not a water leak. It is a storm water issue coming up,” he said.
That spot is at the base of a valley, below a large hill where Rural King is at its top. That business has a detention pond, as does the urgent care facility below it. With heavy rain, the storm water backs up and slowly releases water into the storm drains.
“We're pretty sure that ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) put a French drain in there when they did the last paving,” he said.
City crews believe that drain has clogged up. For now, it will be monitored in case something needs to be done. He confirmed it is storm water, not water from a leaking pipe or wastewater.
Modern Woodmen chapter honors first responders
The Modern Woodmen of America Chapter 15230 of Mount Vernon, put a 9/11 remembrance message on the side of a hill at the Harcourt Road, West High Street and Delaware Road intersection, using more than 550 flags and pinwheels to create the message. Solar lights kept it lit at night.
The nonprofit fraternal order of financial professionals spent 17 volunteer hours on the project. The organization recognizes first responders each September, Rachel Hartong of the local chapter said.
“I was only 10 years old when 9/11 happened, but it still had a lasting impact on my family as my brother would later join the U.S. Army and serve in Afghanistan. As I spoke with other members throughout the day, many can still remember exactly where they were and what they were doing in the moment they heard the tragic news,” she said.
As the volunteers were putting up the flags, people in vehicles going past honked their horns, waved or shared a thumbs up with them, Hartong said.
ARPA group to set funding priorities
The American Rescue Plan Act funding study group will meet again at 4 p.m. on Thursday at council chambers to begin prioritizing projects identified by stakeholders. After the prioritization, it will look at allocations and start to put numbers on the different projects, Starr said.
Community advocate interviews
The city has a number of applicants for its recently created community advocate position with the Police Department and has interviews lined up this week.
“We've got some really good qualified candidates to apply for the job, and we're anxious to get them in the interview room and see who might be able to fill this position for our police department.” Starr said.
