The Mount Vernon City Council has approved an application for an Ohio Public Works Commission Capital Improvement Project grant in collaboration with Clinton Township. The initiative aims to secure funding for the Crystal Avenue water main extension project.
According to a video recording of the Mount Vernon City Council's Monday night meeting, City Engineer Brian Ball said that the project is entirely within Clinton Township. He noted that this project has the highest number of customers per foot of pipe among any pending projects in the township. The objective is to obtain a state grant. With Knox County Commissioners voting to allow a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in their name for the same project, Ball expressed hope that the project would receive $800,000 in grant funding and require $100,000 or less from city water funds.
Ball also mentioned that Clinton Township customers pay 40% more on their water bills. A portion of these additional funds goes towards paying down the township's wastewater debt, while the remainder is allocated to Mount Vernon for improvement projects. Legally, he explained, the city can use this money to enhance any part of the water system but is obligated to use some within the township.
Furthermore, Ball indicated that the water line will be sized as a transmission line, benefiting the industrial park. To improve chances of securing grant approvals, they are investigating whether any properties served by this line require periodic water testing. In a previous project, such testing revealed high levels of E. coli bacteria, which demonstrated need and aided in obtaining grant funds.
Ball requested approval to proceed on Monday night due to an impending deadline for submitting the grant application by Friday morning. The state will begin evaluating applications in December and typically releases a preliminary list of grants by February 2025. While a pre-application will be initiated for the CDBG grant application, filing must wait until permitted times. Ball estimated that construction could commence next summer and must be completed within two years.
