MOUNT VERNON — Three crews are continuing to chip trees around the city following the windstorm of Sept. 14, according to Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Mavis.

The parks, utilities and street departments all have employees working three separate chippers, attempting to cleanup the tree debris from the storm. The city owns one chipper and has rented two others to work on branches that are less than 6 inches around.

“We will work continually until we get the city cleaned up,” Mavis said. “It’s an opportunity for people to get back some normalcy and get the debris out of sight.”

Since the Thayer Road landfill is full, the city is temporarily dumping the woodchippings at the wastewater department on Cougar Drive, but will look to move them to a permanent place at a later date.

Even with the extra work, the city is still on schedule with several projects, according to Mavis. Ritschlin Construction is set to begin the Curtis Street brick improvement project this coming week, while the Blackjack/Newark Road intersection work is nearly complete. Ritschlin will remove the bricks on Curtis Street between North Main and North Mulberry streets, repair the road bed, create new concrete curbs and then replace the bricks. That strip of Curtis Street will be closed until possibly November.

The construction of a turn lane on Newark Road is complete and the city is just waiting on power to be able to turn on the new traffic lights at the intersection of Blackjack Road. The lights, which should be on in the next week or so, will first start as flashing lights until the first part of November when they will become fully operational.

Mavis said he is pleased with the progress of the Blackjack Road improvement project. The project, which includes water and sewer lines, as well as widening of the road, is about 60 percent completed.

Dingey Movers Inc. gave the city a bid of $27,000 for moving the bowstring truss bridge from the Bladensburg area to Foundation Park. Mavis said the city had originally put aside $20,000 for the move, and will have to look elsewhere for the rest of the money. The bridge will be moved intact to the park where it will be cleaned and repaired before being set near one of the park’s lakes.

That’s just one of several items in store for Foundation Park. Mavis said the city has looked at two different designs for a restroom at the park, and hope to begin construction early next spring. He also said the city is looking to work on culverts and drainage issues at the west entrance to the park this fall.

Mavis also reported the city got the $300,000 grant for the Sychar Road area. The money will be used for sidewalks and crosswalks in the area, as well as some improvements to Hiawatha Park.

The city is also set for winter, as the salt barns are full, Mavis said. The city filled the 400-ton barns off last year’s contract, so the beginning of the year is good. Mavis said there has been some concerns raised about prices for this year’s salt, so a bad winter might put a crimp on plans for getting additional salt.

“Even though we’re starting the winter in good shape, we have some concerns later on getting the barns refilled,” said Mavis, who noted the city would normally use between 800 and 1,000 tons of salt during a bad winter. “It’s mainly the price, but that’s a concern with everybody.”