MOUNT VERNON – The Engineering Department’s plans to replace traffic signals on Mansfield Avenue scored well with the Ohio Public Works Commission in a District 17 review.

The plans, part of a larger neighborhood revitalization project, will be forwarded to the state for a final review.

“What this is going to do is to replace two outdated traffic signals on Maxfield Avenue at Dan Emmett School,” Mayor Matt Starr told the Mount Vernon News.

One of the two signals in the project is at the intersection of Mansfield and Belmont, where a pedestrian fatality occurred.

“So this will hopefully help with some of the safety there,” he said.

The project is part of a master plan to revitalize the area not only through traffic safety but also through utility service and walkability. Amy Schocken, the county’s grant consultant from Community Development Consultants, is leading the neighborhood revitalization grant project, Starr said.

“It's a $750,000 neighborhood revitalization grant for this particular neighborhood, and the public is encouraged to attend neighborhood meetings to learn more about the grant opportunities and to provide input into the area's needs,” he said.

Previous neighborhood meetings on Feb. 14 had a good turnout, Starr said, so he expects it again for the next two meetings on March 15. The first meeting will start at 4 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church on Mansfield Avenue. The second is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. at Dan Emmett School. Both meeting sites fall within that area of revitalization.

“We just want to hear from a neighbor what is it that you need,” he said.

One of the prominent requests by residents at the February meeting was the need for sidewalk connections, which fits within the city’s strategic plan.

“Transportation infrastructure isn't just roads and bridges,” he said. “It's also the multi-use paths and the sidewalks which were of extremely high importance from our stakeholders.”

It won’t surprise him to hear the same responses from residents at the March 15 meetings, he said.

More information will be sent out about the meetings, and Schoken will send out more public notices to make sure that the city gets as much participation in these as possible.

“This was a chance for us to really make improvements in a lot of a lot of areas up in that part of the town,” Starr said.

Rumpke Waste working on new routes, complaints

The mayor said he met with Sarah Matthews, a municipal sales representative from Rumpke Waste and Recycling Services of Cincinnati, which recently acquired some trash hauling routes from Mid-State Waste of Fredericktown.

“We've been receiving some calls recently in terms of confusion as far as where trash should be stowed for the truck to get in and out and for the trash collectors or the waste removal service to remove the waste,” Starr said.

Rumpke is on a learning curve and has quite a few trucks on city streets. Starr said that on March 7, the company plans to solidify its routes, which will result in a reduction of the number of trucks on Mount Vernon’s streets.

“They do plan to send letters out to the homeowners who will be impacted by this,” he said.

Starr said he shared with Matthews some of the complaints, including noise in the early morning hours. She told him that she also has been in touch with some of those residents who had complained to the city.

Eight police officer applicants pass Mount Vernon Civil Service test

Mount Vernon held a competitive civil service examination for a police officer position on Feb. 16 with 12 individuals who applied. Of those, 11 applicants showed up to take the test, and eight passed.

Tony DeIuliis, the city’s Civil Service Commission administrator, will certify the tests and schedule interviews for the eight individuals who passed the exam. The city has one opening in its police department.

“Also, we have another civil service exam that will be set up in early April for an entry-level maintenance worker,” Starr said. “More information is coming on that.”

Debris at viaduct proves river restoration project worked

City crews cleaned a great deal of debris built up at the South Main Street Bridge at the viaduct that accumulated with the thaw and rain, Starr said. He called it a good problem because it showed the reparation and restoration project with the Kokosing River last summer worked.

“It moved everything to the center of the stream rather than digging away and eating away at the embankment and causing more erosion,” he said.

A lane had to be closed to get a front loader or backhoe down there to grab the debris, pull it out and dispose of it, he said.