MOUNT VERNON – Residents along Plaza Drive need to park off the street starting on Monday as the city’s contractor begins working on rebuilding the entire road.
The road will be roto-tilled to pulverize the existing asphalt. All the curbs and gutters, also, will be removed.
Residents will still be able to access their homes, as the contractor will try to keep one lane always open.
The road was built on a swamp, so workers will excavate down to complete the rebuilding of the road, City Engineer Brian Ball said. They hope to have the project completed by Nov. 15.
At times all residents will need to park on the north side or the south side.
Smith Paving has been working around Woodlake Trail, Vine Street and Ohio Avenue with some concrete work.
Remove grave decorations before Oct. 1
The public is being asked to remove any spring or summer decorations at gravesites in the Mound View and Mount Calvary Cemeteries, so crews can begin the fall cleanup on Oct. 1. The cemetery department is not responsible for the maintenance of plantings, Tom Hinkle, director of public works, said.
When the fall cleanup is completed, decorations and items will be limited to five or fewer on a grave. No plantings or decorations are allowed on the west side of the monument. All plantings or decorations should be placed no further than 18 inches from the east side.
The cemetery does not allow Shepherd hooks, wires, mounded flowerbeds, or rigid borders. Other items restricted from use include glass, gravel, solar lights, flower pots, benches, seats, and trees or plants with thorns.
The new maintenance building at the Mound View Cemetery is completed, and the city is awaiting a final inspection.
Intersections put into flash mode during testing
Motorists will notice intersections across the city going into flash mode for short periods over the next several weeks, Hinkle said. The street department will be performing conflict monitor testing for each of the more than 50 signalized intersections. The monitor must be removed for testing, which takes 20 to 25 minutes to complete, he said.
“During this time, we’re asking the motorists to please use caution when they approach an intersection that will be in flash,” he said.
The Mansfield-Belmont and Mansfield-Nash/Nuce intersections became fully functional last week, including pedestrian signals, with the new button, to activate audio signals for the visually impaired, Hinkle said.
The street department also worked on stormwater catch basin projects. The first one, on West Vine Street between South Harrison and South Elm Street, has to be taken apart, raised and rebuilt for a future curb and gutter project.
A failed catch basin, at the corner of Craig Drive and Park Road, needed a complete rebuild. And a few small sinkhole areas, in the lower parking lot at Ariel-Foundation Park, were fixed.
Crews completed the second round of spraying for weeds and are on the second round of mowing in the right of ways.
Phosphorous reduction plan nearly complete
The utilities department continues its phosphorus reduction modeling at the wastewater treatment plant, Utilities' Director Aaron Reinhart said. Within two months, they should be able to move forward with phosphorous reduction.
A new assistant director is being sought for the wastewater treatment plant. The job description can be found on the city's website, he said.
A critical valve replacement will be performed at the wastewater treatment plant next week, he said. And at the water plant, a butterfly valve will be replaced to correct the one that no longer functions.
Staff, also, will install a new raw water meter at the plant, Reinhart said.
The existing meter, probably was the original meter, installed during plant construction 23 years ago, Ball said.
Stump, Northview homeowners may get federal funds
Ball said they continue to remind Stump Street and Northview Drive residents with septic tanks to visit the engineering department to fill out an application for funds to pay for septic tank decommissioning and removal and for tap fees.
The residents should already have received a letter about the city’s water and sewer replacement project.
Approximately 19-or-20 septic tanks are in the project area. Ball said the city wants to keep everyone informed and get them as much federal aid as they are legally allowed. The income cutoff is not that low, he said, so residents can make a reasonable amount of money and still qualify for the program.
Septic tanks must meet the standards of Knox Public Health, and most of them do not.
Bike path made safer with tree trimming
Trimming has been done along the bike path from the south side of the Kokosing River, the riverbank area between the Dry Creek Bridge and where the path enters into Ariel-Foundation Park, Hinkle said.
