MOUNT VERNON – The Mount Vernon City Council voted to donate the old city landfill property in Clinton Township to Knox County, keeping the city clear of any liabilities on the property.
Auditor Terry Scott said it costs approximately $100,000 to monitor the property, and reclamations that are required would fall on the city if it kept the 63-acre property on Thayer Road.
“I don't think the city wants to take on this liability. It continues to grow,” he said.
Councilmember John Francis said the property must have 30 years’ worth of asbestos dust buried in it.
“I worked with a manufacturing facility that ground asbestos, and they would truck truckloads of asbestos dust to the landfill. I didn’t realize they would take that,” he said.
Utilities
City Council approved letting the city administration seek bids for a new vacuum truck for the city’s Utilities Department.
Scott said the current vacuum truck spent more time in the service garage than in the city’s garage.
He said $157,000 in account transfers was to allocate funds for the truck.
Councilmember Mike Hillier asked about the use of $100,000 coming from a fund for new meters.
Scott acknowledged the city had those funds set aside for new meters, but none can be found to purchase.
“We're not going to be utilizing those resources during this budget year," he said.
The purchases will be deferred.
The council approved authorizing Safety-Service Director Rick Dzik to advertise bids for water meters, waterline supplies and bulk fuel.
Human-powered transportation
Knox County’s Active Transportation Plan was presented to City Council for consideration of adoption by Tami Ruhl, program coordinator for Knox Public Health’s Creating Healthy Communities.
Active transportation is defined by the Ohio Department of Transportation as human-powered transportation, such as walking, biking, scooters and using a wheelchair. Public transit is included because a person using it must walk to the bus stop to get on the bus, which means the person moves more or takes more steps in a day, she said.
“If someone is walking or biking to their everyday destination, that means that they're going to be just physically active without going to the gym. And those being physically active, we're going to see reduced rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes in the county,” Ruhl said.
Fewer harmful chemicals will be emitted into the environment with human-powered transportation, she said.
The county and city have talked about complete streets, where they have a vision looking at a street from the viewpoint of a motorist as well as a cyclist or pedestrian to make it safe for everyone, Ruhl said.
Working with Mayor Matt Starr, city engineer Brian Ball, and officials from Centerburg, Danville, Gambier and others, the plan was created. Community input was collected. The plan includes 79 potential projects. The document can be used to apply for funds to make repairs to city streets or add new sidewalks, she said.
“We want people to have easy access to be able to walk and bike in the county. We want to increase awareness to the acceptance of walking or biking and we also want to make sure that these options are available to all,” Ruhl said.
The plan is a living document, and priorities will change as more information becomes available that will change priorities. She is working with Knox County mobility manager Susie Simpson and Randy Cronk, president of the Kokosing Gap Trail board of trustees, to further the plan.
Ruhl said she planned to speak with MKC Architects representatives and the city about its idea to connect city parks by trail.
