Mount Vernon crews battle snow and frigid weather

The cold and snowy weather has kept crews for the city of Mount Vernon busy this past week.

The large snowstorm on Saturday had the street department working overtime to plow the streets, while the cold snap also created some issues with water lines bursting.

Crews had to repair water lines on Teryl Drive on Sunday and another on Vernedale Drive on Monday. Director of Public Utilities Aaron Reinhart reported the leaks may have caused some discoloration of water for city residents in those areas. He said residents can call the water office at 740-39 if they are still experiencing the discoloration.

Director of Public Works Tom Hinkle reported his crews worked 110 hours of overtime during the weekend, plowing the streets from the snowstorm that struck Knox County on Saturday.

Hinkle said they had five staff members plow the streets from 2 p.m. until midnight Saturday, then another crew of five came in at midnight and continued plowing until about noon on Sunday.

“The first group’s purpose was to make the main streets passable and safe. The second group was able to get into all residential areas and made them passable,” Hinkle said.

He said they used approximately 250 tons of salt during the weekend. He also noted that a few issues common with plowing following a snowstorm that came up, including a few yards that were damaged and a couple of mailboxes hit.

Hinkle also said crews from the Public Buildings and Land department, as well as the parks department, spent time clearing snow from areas around town. The PBL crew focused on Public Square, as well as city owned buildings and sidewalks mainly in the downtown area. The parks department cleared parking areas in the parks, as well as some areas of the bike trail near Ariel-Foundation Park.

Hinkle also reminded residents that the parks are on their winter hours and only two restroom facilities — at Riverside Park near the Splash Pad and Harmony Playground at Memorial Park — are open during the winter.

Reinhart reported the utilities departments are taking steps in the design phase of a couple of projects. The wastewater department received financial approval from the Ohio Water Development Authority for design work on the wastewater treatment plant improvement project. He said once design work is completed on the Ohio EPA-mandated upgrades, they will be ready to break ground, hopefully in September or October of 2026.

He also noted they have begun an overview of the entire water plant in preparation of design work for three different projects they are considering. The 25-year-old plant needs upgrades to the lime silos/slakers, and the city is also considering placing a water storage tank on the south side of Mount Vernon and switching the plant to sodium hypochlorite for its treatment of water.

Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr reported work is underway on the new salt barn at the facility on Old Delaware Road. The city is also looking at restroom facility at Arch Park and work on New Gambier Road, where the sides of the road are crumbling.

Starr also reported the city, after a slow start, will begin construction on the new service center at 236 S. Main St. sometime after the beginning of the year. Once that work is completed, city offices will move to its new location and City Hall will be renovated for use as a justice center.