MOUNT VERNON – The city will reopen Sandusky Street by the end of the month, but one intersection will have stop signs instead of traffic lights.
“I'm sure this isn't won't come as a huge shock. We were notified by ODOT that the light poles for that intersection of Belmont and Sandusky will not be arriving until January,” Safety Services Director Rick Dzik said.
The city does not want to wait until next year to reopen Sandusky Street. So it will have to install stop signs to get two-way traffic back.
“It's not ideal, but we understand the supply chain issues going on everywhere,” he said.
Streets
The Chestnut Street resurfacing in downtown had to wait until crews completed several projects below street level.
“The first was that we had to replace a water line into our Plaza building, which is where our police and court facilities are. They were able to do that very quickly within a day,” Dzik said.
Columbia Gas also had to work on a gas line before any pavement could be put down.
“The real goal is getting the underground work done so that the pavement will last a long time without us needing to cut into it again,” he said.
The hope for reopening Chestnut Street was early this week. But city engineer Brian Ball said the contractor’s asphalt plant had a problem that caused a bit of a delay. Looking out at the street on Friday afternoon, Dzik said layers of asphalt already had been put down, so it appears close to completion.
Utilities
Palmer and Son Excavating of Wooster will install a new, two-inch water main along East Street during the week of Nov. 22.
This is part of Mount Vernon’s work to update waterlines. Individual service lines also will be replaced to meter pits at no charge to property owners.
The work may cause loss of water pressure, and boil-water advisories will be issued. Residents should check for door hangers that explain what to do and when water is safe to drink once pressure is restored.
Call the Engineering Department at 740-393-9528 with any questions.
Work on the 2 million-gallon reservoir repairs continues, with Utilities staff keeping a close eye on the city water system’s pressure. As of Friday, everything was running smoothly, Dzik said.
Utilities Director Ken Griffith reported crews had to respond to a water main break in the industrial park part of the city.
“They were able to repair that quickly without any need for a boil water advisory or anything like that. So hopefully it wasn't too impactful for the businesses out there. I know we haven't received any issues or complaints on it,” Dzik said.
Police
Police Chief Robert Morgan said Patrolman Aaron Collins has been promoted to the rank of sergeant.
Mount Vernon continues to take applications for lateral transfers from officers with other jurisdictions. Six candidates have been interviewed so far, with a group of the officers’ applications moving through the process, Dzik said.
