MOUNT VERNON — West end resident Doug Adams spoke about safety issues when council met Monday night, calling for more awareness of the pedestrian crosswalk, increased parental awareness in the park, and better access to the river.

Adams said he has seen instances where children try to cross West High Street in the crosswalk, and the traffic will stop in one direction, but not the other. The plastic cone which used to be placed in the center of the road to alert motorists of the crosswalk, he said, was destroyed within one week.

“You need to prepare motorists to stop,” said Adams. “The signs for the crosswalk are right near the crosswalk. There are no flashing lights. … Flashing lights would be a lot of benefit.”

Motorists are in a hurry, he said, and more and more people are using the crosswalk. In addition, a semi trailer which parks on West High Street sometimes blocks a good view of the crosswalk.

“Let’s not wait until something happens and then do something about it,” he said.

Adams said he likes the bright lights which shine on the playground equipment at Riverside Park, but pointed out the lights also create shadows which are conducive to predators. He suggested putting a light on the back side of the pole to illuminate the area between the playground and the shelter house and restroom. He also suggested putting up a predator awareness sign in the park, and more visibility by police officers.

“Have a police officer get out of the car and make a presence at the park,” he said.

The third area Adams addressed is lack of access to the river at the end of West Gambier Street. Gambier Street actually goes clear to the dike, but river access is blocked by a gate.

“You used to be able to access the river and use it as a recreation and entertainment facility,” said Adams. “Now it’s become a junkyard and an eyesore. Let’s get it back to where people have the right to go to the river.”

During a meeting of the Parks and Land Committee, discussion involved a proposed name change to and expansion of the Shade Tree Commission. The proposed new name would be Shade Tree and Beautification Committee. There additional members would be added to the committee.

“I think this will do nothing but strengthen our shade tree committee,” said councilman Chuck Dice.

“I’m happy to have shade tree and beautification combined,” said Sharon Fair, co-chairwoman of the Shade Tree Commission. “It gives us more means to do things in addition to shade trees. … Benches, fountains, gazebos — it gives us a chance to incorporate those into the program.”

In addition, Fair said the committee would like to do a tree inventory, which involves documenting the number, type and location of trees in the city. This would be done using the city’s geographic information system. Having this inventory, she said, would help in case a disease affects any of the trees.

“GIS enables us to do different layers,” she said. “For example, oak trees might be one layer.”

If a disease wiped out the oak trees, the GIS system would allow that layer to be removed, thus showing which areas of the city might need to be replanted.

A draft ordinance on the name change was given to council to review. Under the revised ordinance, a permit would be required for planting of any trees or shrubs. Fair said the committee needed that type of control in order to avoid trees or shrubs being planted too close to a corner where a motorist’s view might be obstructed, or to avoid trees being planted under power lines.

Council waived three readings and approved a resolution authorizing the safety-service director to submit an application for federal stimulus funds for the Ohio 229 and Edgewood Road improvement project. The project includes adding a left-hand turn lane in all four directions.

Councilman John Fair said this is a shovel-ready project. It is estimated to cost around $350,000.

In other business, council:

•Adopted the amended 9-1-1 plan for the county.

•Gave a second reading to revised flood plain regulations.

•Approved an ordinance which eliminates redundancy in the section of city code dealing with parking issues.

Mayor Richard Mavis told council the city’s application for $400,000 in grant money to do a cleanup assessment of the American National Can property was denied. The city can reapply in November.

However, due to a reclassification of counties, Knox is now included in a Community Reinvestment Area. This means the city can apply for $300,000 through Clean Ohio Funds for cleanup of the former ANC property.

Mavis said season memberships to the water park have been selling well. Councilwoman Rebecca Jordan added that new memberships are up this year. She also said residents can sign up for swimming lessons, to be held May 26 through May 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. Information is available online at mountvernonohio.org.

Councilman Mike Hillier questioned the procedure for nuisance properties which have gone into foreclosure. Safety-Service Director Dave Glass said they are treated the same as other properties: A notice is sent to the homeowner, and, if no response, the lot is mowed and the charge put on the homeowner’s tax bill. It was agreed council needs to look at an ordinance to address habitual abusers of the notification process.

Councilman Fair said he was glad Mavis did a walk-through inspection of the cat shelter, as there is a real problem with feral cats in the city. He also said there is still a problem with truck traffic on the east end of town, and that he believes the problem now involves repeat drivers who have realized they can go through that part of town without being ticketed. He suggested the Mount Vernon Police Department be a little more vigilant in enforcing violations.

Council adjourned into executive session to discuss possible litigation. No further action was taken.