Mount Vernon expected to add 400 trees around the city

The city of Mount Vernon will soon be earning its title of Shade Tree USA member.

City Engineer Brian Ball said during a news conference Tuesday that the city, with the help of the Shade Tree and Beautification committee, will be planting more than 400 trees throughout the city this year.

“There’s a lot of benefits for that,” Ball said. “Part of the reason the trees are here, it helps stormwater. It slows the rain, collect the water; infiltration; cooling effects.”

According to Zane Mikesell, a member of the commission, trees also help clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and harmful gases; reduce soil erosion; and save energy by shading homes in the summer and blocking cold winds in the winter.

Ball said the city actively manages trees, taking out the old and hollow trees and replacing them with young trees. He said that some of them may be replacing trees that were uprooted by recent windstorms.

The engineering department is also busy with several road and community projects. They have been working on repairing and repaving Venture Drive, as well as pulling up bricks on Hamtramck and Burgess streets. The brick street project will include the repair of utility lines between Main and Sandusky streets before the bricks are returned to the road.

Ball reported they have completed some survey work on Glen Road and found three culverts have failed. Also, the bridge over Delano Run on Martinsburg Road has been milled and they will reline the asphalt with the bridge to smooth out the ride. He said the next part of that project will be getting bids for a chip/seal project.

The city is also in the middle of meetings with residents in the Pleasant Street and Hilltop areas, asking for needs and wants for possible grants. Once those items are determined, they will apply for revitalization grants sometime in June.

Director of Utilities Aaron Reinhart reported they have reached the 60 percent mark for the design of the phosphorus reduction project for the wastewater treatment plant. They will review the design and submit it to the Ohio EPA for approval. He said they hope to break ground by the beginning of next year.

Reinhart also reported the water department is halfway through the meter change project. They have completed just over 2,000 of the nearly 4,000 meters planned for the project.

He also reminded residents they will see the water and wastewater rate increase on the April bill. The minimum charge for water has risen $1.75 and the wastewater increased by $3.29.

Director of Public Utilities Tom Hinkle reported the street department has installed 2,400 linear feet of concrete for berms on New Gambier Road. The purpose was to create a safety edge to keep the road edges firm and keep water from eroding them.

He noted pedestrian bumpouts have been completed on East Chestnut and East High streets. The bumpouts will allow for pedestrians crossing the two streets to be seen by drivers and better protected. During the project, Hinkle said they removed a crosswalk near the courthouse.

The department is expected to begin upgrading traffic signals at three intersections on Coshocton Avenue — near TSC, Walmart and Upper Gilchrist Road. The intersections will receive audible peds, new equipment and vehicle detection. There will be some work on the curbs and ramps at those locations to meet today’s ADA standards.

The water slides and splash pad areas at Hiawatha Water Park are in the midst of some repair and new paint. The Capt. Hunter Splash Pad at Riverside Park is expected to open Memorial Day weekend and will stay open through Labor Day weekend. Hinkle also said the water fountain on the square has been reconditioned and painted and will open sometime around the end of the month.

Mayor Matt Starr reminded residents that the Yard Sale Trail will be held in the city May 1-2 and that the Spring Clean-up Day will be May 9.

He also said the next Washington Forum will be held April 28 at the Gallagher Center from 6-8 p.m.