MOUNT VERNON — The city is in the process of working on various projects before the winter weather takes hold. Mayor Richard Mavis said the wonderful weather the past couple of weeks has allowed for various street projects, a demolition and a playground park improvement to take place. As long as there is good weather, he said, the city hopes to have these projects completed before the new year.
“Geoff Oliver informed me that they are in the process of putting in new pieces of playground equipment for Phillips Park,” said Mavis. “Phillips Park is heavily used during the summertime for Little League baseball, but usually whole families come, and the playground equipment there has not been updated until now.”
Installing the new equipment has already started, and Mavis expects it to be ready for use in a couple of weeks.
The city previously bought two lots on Sandusky Street in anticipation of widening the roadway. People traveling along West Gambier Street and South Sandusky Street will see that one building is in the process of being razed.
“It affords the opportunity to widen the roadway, and also gives us the opportunity to improve the turning radius from Sandusky onto West Gambier Street,” Mavis said, referring to the demolition of the former Rivers Edge building.
The second property purchased by the city was the old Connells building, where Sandusky meets Ohio Avenue; that building has been assessed for asbestos. The city’s plan is to tear it down next year.
“So we have actually made two purchases there in anticipation of this long-range plan of the Sandusky Street quarter improvement project,” said Mavis.
On Monday, the asphalt company contracted with by the city began laying the base layer of asphalt on Blackjack Road south.
“If [the good weather continues] it may be possible to get the first surface layer on. We want to make sure we have all the base in because that will harden and you can drive on it, and through the winter it will be good,” said Mavis. “ ... Nevertheless, the project is far enough along so that the road can be used.”
The Curtis Street project is also well on its way to completion.
“We are informed that that project is moving on, and all the bricks should be back [on] by the end of this week. They will be back to do cleanup and some fill-ins, but we are pleased to see that project moving along to completion,” he said.
Another project which will begin next week is construction on East Pleasant Street.
“[City engineer] Cameron Keaton has informed me that we have completed the pre-construction meeting for the culvert replacement on East Pleasant Street,” said Mavis. “It would be east of Sychar, and that construction will start next week in that area. People in that area should be aware that there will be some digging and some inconvenience during that time.”
