MOUNT VERNON — The Friends of the Kokosing River cleaned up along the river behind the Arch Park area, Public Works Director Tom Hinkle told the Mount Vernon News.
The section the community organization members worked on stretches from the West High Street Bridge around down the side of the river and close to the viaduct area, he said.
The cleanup included the abandoned homeless camps in that area. The city disposed of the trash and debris the Friends of the Kokosing River collected.
Safety-Service Director Rick Dzik said after this cleanup of the homeless camp area, located at the intersection of Harcourt Road and State Route 229, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) went into the area and removed brush and trees.
ODOT did the work because the agency owns that land, he said.
The Mayor’s Youth Council also will perform trash cleanup at Memorial Park starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Hinkle said. They’ll do a walk around the park to pick up debris, such as tree branches or any trash they find, he said. A city employee will be on-site to help with the removal of the debris. A dump truck will be loaded so it all can be taken away.
Volunteers can show up at Memorial Park on Saturday morning, he said.
The Parks Department also has been gearing up for the mowing season. They’ve removed some old picnic tables at Memorial Park. Those will be replaced with metal picnic tables that are coated with a rubbery material. Hinkle said he will no longer purchase wooden picnic tables that sit outside because they rot quickly.
“We’ll take an extra step and we’re going to pour some concrete so they’re not just sitting down in the grass or right on the ground,” he said.
The city is partnering with the Knox Technical Center at the Knox County Career Center to pour the concrete for these projects. They also will install a brick stamp project around a new wayfinding sign the city installed.
Parks Department staff removed bleachers at the Babe Ruth Field at Memorial Park to replace them for $6,306 with new bleachers that meet current requirements. The total bleacher upgrade project over three years for all city ballfields cost $53,406.
in addition, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources stocked the Center Lake at Ariel Foundation Park with trout as promised, Hinkle said.
Street Department patches potholes, cleans ditches
Street Department crews continue to patch potholes when the weather allows it, Hinkle said. Core drilling was performed on Plaza Drive to determine how much base the road has so the Engineering Department can make resurfacing plans.
He said that ditches have been cleaned out at McKenzie Street at Lamartine. A stormwater project began on Wednesday at Rose Avenue where the crew working on a catch basin.
A brick street repair was completed on West Chestnut Street after the Water Department had to remove bricks to fix a water line. Along the same street, they removed an oak stump and made lawn repairs where winter stormwater projects were completed.
“They also have been doing some trimming in the alleys, tree trimming in the alleys, getting ready before things start coming alive again here,” Hinkle said.
Most of his staff participated in a work zone safety training session.
So far, the city has purchased 930 tons of salt, and must buy another 150 tons under its contract. Hinkle said the city plans to build a larger salt barn to prevent it from running out of room so it can take the full order of salt at one time. The current salt barn holds 1,100 tons of salt. A new barn would hold 2,000 tons of salt.
The city’s salt supplier requires orders to be made months before winter.
New crew chief joins Utilities
Dzik said the city’s new managerial positions have been filled. Jack Boyd is the new crew chief for the Utilities Department. He replaced Josh Beltz, who was named assistant director of Utilities.
Utilities and Engineering are working on phosphorous testing and modeling to calculate how much phosphorous is being produced in the city’s wastewater treatment plant and how much is released into waterways, Dzik said. That will help the city design improvements needed to meet EPA requirements.
Cemetery chapel shingles replaced
The shingles on the cemetery’s chapel have been replaced, along with metal flashing, he said. A contractor has been doing the work and has also cleaned the stone on the outside. The department will continue repairs.
The 30 headstones that vandals knocked over have been reset and resealed, he said. Repairs haven’t been completed on the five headstones that were broken.
Crews install new door, access control for Human Resources
In City Hall, the door to Human Resources has been replaced with a glass door, a project the Public Buildings and Land crews have been working on for several years. Access control has been added to the door.
Crews also have replaced exterior lights at the CA&C and B&O railroad depts with LED fixtures, he said.
