MOUNT VERNON – Residents need to get a zoning permit before doing any construction work on their homes or they could risk getting a stop work order or have to take down their work.
Safety Services Director Rick Dzik told the Mount Vernon News the city always has had challenges with this. But if the city’s property maintenance officer comes around and finds someone without a permit, they’ll have to pay for starting work before getting it.
“If they don't do the work in conformance with our zoning code, which is the whole reason for the permit, we might have to tell them to stop doing the work,” he said.
The city may determine the homeowner can’t do what they want with their home. By that time, they’ve already invested money in renovations. So it’s important that they reach out to the city Engineering Department and its Development Services office to make sure they start the permitting process before they do any work, Dzik said.
“It's really just to make sure that the work that they're proposing to do is in line with our zoning code. It also helps if they want a variance, then we can tell them how to go through that process with our Board of Zoning Appeals,” he said.
Common problems the city has found include installing a fence taller than the city’s limit of 6 feet. The most common issue is wanting to work on porches that are close to the limit of the right of way. That could require a variance before work is done. But if the work is done first, they might learn the variance can’t be approved.
“It's not guaranteed, so we don't want anybody to get into a position where they've done work, and then they have to take it down,” he said.
Energy Harbor sends out electric aggregation notices
Dzik said the Mayor’s Office also wants to remind residents that Mount Vernon is in an electric aggregation program with Energy Harbor that goes from July 2021 through December 2025.
July started a new period for the program, so Energy Harbor sent out approximately 100 letters to people who might have moved into the city recently to give them the opportunity to opt out, he said. The letters from Energy Harbor to residents bearing the city’s logo are legitimate.
Todd Hill, the mayor’s administrative assistant and clerk of council, said without the aggregation residents could pay 7.2 cents per kilowatt hour with AEP Ohio. Energy Harbor’s rate is currently 4.7 cents per kilowatt hour.
“Part of the challenge with this is, in addition to our aggregate company reaching out, there's a whole bunch of other companies wanting to get business as well,” Dzik said.
Engineering needs to confirm Clintonville work met standards
The Engineering Department still hasn’t heard from all residents of the Clintonville area on scheduling a time to perform dye tests at their homes to test the new sanitary lines. So it's begun to hang notices on residents' doors to urge them to set a time with the city.
“What the dye test does is it confirms that everything that the contractor did, in terms of hooking up certain lines to certain pipes, they did it correctly,” he said.
Water hammer may be culprit in water main break
Repair crews believe the big water main break on Mansfield Avenue two weekends ago happened because of a “water hammer.”
“A water hammer happens when some valve around the city shuts too quickly and puts additional pressure on the pipes,” Dzik said.
That water line is targeted for improvement in the near future, he said.
Street Department gets back to routine work
The Street Department has been handling routine jobs, such as patching sections of roads where utility crews have had to work. It's also been grading and graveling alleys around the city, mowing, painting lines in school zones and trimming trees along roadways.
