MOUNT VERNON – A $161,316 grant from the Central Ohio Rural Planning Organization (CORPO) will help fund the design, survey and environmental work related to the Route 13/South Sandusky Street Project.
The project also is known as the relocation of state Route 13 to South Sandusky Street, Mayor Matt Starr told the Mount Vernon News.
The city’s share of that project is just over $65,000. That project is scheduled to kick off in July for the design, the survey and the environmental study, he said.
Based on traffic counts, when that project is fully finished it will reduce the truck traffic in downtown by 50%.
“It's not just about diverting the truck traffic from the downtown. It's about making commerce easier to happen,” he said.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) documents for the North Sandusky Street westside sidewalk have been submitted to the city’s grant writer for the CDBG.
Parking garage steel
City Engineer Brian Ball and his department have been working with a vendor and the city’s industrial engineer to make sure the correct type of steel is ordered for structural support in the municipal parking garage, Starr said.
No time frame has been set on when work will begin. no time frame on when more work will begin, he said.
“We just want to make sure that we get the right product before we .... start putting things in place,” he said.
Downtown benches removed for repairs
The Street Department removed all the downtown benches. They were taken to a local vendor to have the legs and the arms re-powder coated. The benches will be reinstalled within the next couple of weeks, Starr said.
The department used approximately 30 tons of asphalt in repairs at water digs and alleys last week. Some alleys were graded.
Street sweeping had been put on hold for a week but resumed this week, he said.
Church celebrates 100 years
Mount Vernon delivered a proclamation in celebration of the First Church of the Nazarene, he said.
The church at 807 Coshocton Ave. celebrated on Sunday with the theme, “Building Our Future on the Foundation of Our Past.”
Mount Vernon parks host Kids to Parks Day
Mount Vernon celebrated Kids to Parks Day on Saturday, the twelfth year the National Park Trust event has been held.
“Today’s kids are faced with more distractions and demands on their time than ever before, but the benefits of just being outside and enjoying the fresh air haven’t changed,” Starr said
Kids to Parks Day is designed to broaden children’s appreciation for nature and the outdoors. It also encourages children to lead a more active lifestyle to combat issues of childhood obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
“Kids don’t remember their best day of watching TV or playing video games. They do remember their best day out with parents and family. That’s what Kids to Parks Day is all about,” said Mark Fritz, executive director of Ariel-Foundation Park.
