MOUNT VERNON – The city’s 2 million-gallon underground water reservoir has been empty except for workers making repairs for the past two weeks, but that work has essentially been completed.
The repairs were expected to finish by this past weekend, Mayor Matt Starr told the Mount Vernon News. Some painting and sealing remained as of Friday afternoon, which will need time to cure.
Acting Utilities Director Kenny Griffin said the new 16-inch water line has been installed.
“It will take a few weeks before the reservoir can be filled back up. The coatings need to cure, and then there will be the chlorination and sample testing. That has to happen,” Starr said.
No boil advisories are expected as the city has done all of the work with the water system under pressure.
Crews discovered several cracks in the reservoir, which were being repaired.
“But the big thing is going to be the accessibility, We'll be able to get in and out by just walking in rather than having to get into a manhole now. So the vault was very, very limiting in terms of our ability to get in and do some work,” Starr said.
Civil Service Commission
The city’s Civil Service Commission will hold an open entry-level examination for a maintenance worker and pipefitter at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 15. The exam will be held at the Knox County Career Center cafeteria.
For more information, visit the city’s website at mountvernonohio.org or stop by the mayor’s office or the Civil Service Commission to get a complete job description.
Parks
All city parks have been winterized. Bathrooms have been closed for the season, and the number of trash barrels in the parks was reduced. The tennis court sunscreens also are down for the winter season, Starr said.
Bulbs for Christmas lights will be installed this week in preparation for a tree-lighting ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 27, after the Christmas Walk parade, which starts at 3:30 p.m. Main Street Mount Vernon spearheads that event, which will include a Shop Small event.
Streets
The Street Department picked up 45 loads of leaves last week, making the total 111 loads for the season. Residents who still need leaves picked up need to call the Street Department starting this week. The crews will not go out searching for leaves, so residents need to call, Starr said.
Call 740-393-9501 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. this week.
“They are going to continue to attempt to pick up leaves until Dec. 3. But if there is a snow event, we are going to need to convert the trucks from the leaf trucks to the snow trucks,” he said.
The leaf drop-off area at the Thayer Road compost facility remains open Monday through Sunday from dawn until dusk for loose leaves only. All bags and containers must be removed after they are emptied.
Courts
Employees from the court clerk’s office and the probation department, dispatchers and the Fredericktown Police Department delivered more than 60 boxes of food and gift cards on Nov. 13 to Knox County families for Thanksgiving in conjunction with the Byron Saunders Foundation, Starr said.
Engineering
Crews working for the city, Columbia Gas and the Ohio Department of Transportation are rushing to complete work as temperatures allow, Starr said.
With Columbia Gas still doing work there, the city will not pave McKinley Street this year. The utility told the city it is working at Riverside Park, with the main gas line mostly installed. Work also continues on Pleasant Street.
East Chestnut Street is done, with its lines having been painted. Concrete sidewalks were being poured on Friday. After letting the work cure over the weekend, Starr said the city planned opening the street to east and west traffic on Monday.
“Just because of the cooler weather, it takes longer for the concrete to cure,” he said.
ODOT contractors were finishing up aprons and driveways, with the sidewalk on the western side of North Sandusky Street planned next.
