MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Mavis reported he was finishing his summary about the public meeting held Tuesday regarding the latest changes planned for Coshocton Avenue.
He said 44 people signed in on the comment sheet at the meeting. Many of the comments involved keeping the Eastgate/Highland traffic signal and the TSC signal.
“The comment period will be over on Nov. 24,” Mavis said. “We will be meeting the second week of December to go over all of the comments on the project.”
Mavis pointed out the project is actually two projects.
“There is the widening, which is basically from the [Center Run] bridge to Shalimar Drive,” he said. “Then there is the safety project, from Sychar Road to TSC. There is some difference in the cost of the two projects.”
Mavis said the safety project will be paid for with 90 percent federal funds and 10 percent local money. The widening will be paid for with 80 percent federal and 20 percent local funds.
The McKenzie and McArthur streets curb project is on schedule.
“That project is going well,” Mavis said. “They’ve had good weather and the contractor is pleased with the progress they’ve made.”
In other news:
•Mavis reported local leaf pickup would be finished by the end of November. Residents should rake leaves to the curb but not out into the street.
•The first set of bids were opened for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program on Thursday.
•Meetings with city department heads about budgets were finished this week. Mavis said the real question is the amount of carryover the city would have next year.
“As we get down to the end of the year we are finding we are not having to transfer a lot of money over to payroll,” he said. “Overtime can be an issue at the end of the year, but that has not been the case this year.
“The administration was pleased with the support of the 2010 budget preparation at the department level. As we get to the end of the year, we will verify what the carryover will be, and present that to council in January. Hopefully before the end of February they will approve the 2010 budget.”
•An application was filed for Clean Ohio Assistance Funds for the American National Can site. A public meeting was held and the minutes of the comments were sent to the Department of Development. By Christmastime the DOD will have reviewed it, and sometime in January will let the city know if the requested funds will be available. The funds will be used to do an assesment of the level of contamination, if any, at the site so the city can make plans to clean it up. Mavis said the city hopes to get an industrial tenant on the site.
Discuss this story Residents comment on Coshocton Ave. project