MOUNT VERNON – Mount Vernon and other Knox County residents are getting their chance to voice their opinions on how to fix the Knox Cattle Company Dam, Mayor Matt Starr told the Mount Vernon News.
Knox County Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard Wetzel held two public meetings, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday, to get the different options to fix the dam and stormwater issues presented to residents, Starr said.
“We have a planning level engineering report with four alternatives to help with the problems at the Knox Cattle Company Dam,” Starr said.
The city had agreed in 2020 to perform interim risk reduction measures after the Ohio Department of Natural Resources determined the earthen embankment constructed in 1945 cannot safely discharge the runoff of the probable maximum flood (PMF) event. The reservoir’s water level was lowered, riprap was installed on the emergency spillway channel and last year the emergency spillway outlet was repaired and the rusted outlet pipe was removed.
Three conceptual alternatives to address the dam deficiencies identified by ODNR, mitigate the risks posed by the dam and manage stormwater were presented at the two meetings.
The first alternative would be to rehabilitate the dam and maintain the existing pool, according to the report prepared by Stantec Consulting Inc. The cost was estimated at $2.65 million.
The second proposal would remove the dam and pool and implement alternative stormwater management measures. This alternative had the lowest estimated cost at $1.39 million.
The third idea was to reduce the dam embankment height so that the dam is no longer subject to ODNR dam safety jurisdiction and implement alternative stormwater management measures. Two alternatives were suggested for this plan. Cost estimates were between $1.61 million and $2.12 million for these proposals.
Traffic signal work continues
The Mansfield Avenue traffic signals are out to bid.
The new traffic signals have been installed at the Columbus Road and South Main Street intersection.
“Now we're waiting on the company to change the line paint on the road so that the lanes will line up with the new traffic signals,” Starr said.
Gilchrist Estates Phase 1 plat recorded
The plat for the Gilchrist Estates subdivision Phase 1 has been signed and delivered to the county to be recorded, Starr said. with the subdivision. The subdivision covenants and stormwater operation and maintenance requirements were part of that filing.
“And that concludes a lot of the work on the city and the developer's part to have this subdivision ... ready for the residents to buy homes,” he said.
The city’s Engineering Department has “a lot of engineering balls up in the air,” so it was good to get some of the projects accomplished, he said.
Fire Department stayed busy in June
The Mount Vernon Fire Department had 431 incidents in June, with 85% of the emergency runs EMS related in the city.
For its entire coverage area, including the Village of Gambier, Kenyon College, College Township and several other townships that have agreements with the city, the Fire Department responded to 572 incident calls, with 18% of them being fire-related, Starr said.
Fireworks show successful
Unlike last year’s fireworks display, which was marred by a computerized glitch cutting the display short, this year’s celebration turned out to be spectacular, Starr said.
