MOUNT VERNON — City street employees were busy Thursday and Friday cleaning up from the winter storm that socked Knox County.
Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Mavis said workers were out all night Thursday and all seven trucks were out again Friday in an attempt to plow and salt the streets of the city.
“Our policy is it’s a priority to work the main throughways and hilly side streets first,” Mavis said. “So far, hopefully, we’ve done a good job. We’ve gotten some calls from people on the side streets. We just ask for their patience.”
The city has five large and two small trucks with blades in operation. Mavis said the 10-person staff gets split when workers are required to work 24 or more hours, but there are still four or five trucks on the streets.
Mavis said they’ve received a new supply of salt and more is expected next week.
“I believe we’re supposed to have a three-day reprieve from the snow. Hopefully, it’ll be warm enough for the salt to loosen up the hard stuff,” Mavis said.
In other news:
•Mavis said the city will be digging up part of the new pavement on South Gay Street to repair a sewer line that was crushed. The homeowner had been experiencing some difficulties with the drainage and, after a plumber had limited success, the city got involved and found that the line had been damaged near the hookup point. A portion of a parking space will be torn up to replace the line, then filled and patched until spring when it can be patched properly, Mavis said.
•Paul Cline sent a letter to Mavis indicating his plan to retire at the end of January. The field inspector has worked for 31 1/2 years with the city. Mavis said he inspects almost every project the city is involved in when there is digging or paving involved.
•Mavis has met with City Auditor Terry Scott, Safety-Service Director Dave Glass and Engineer Cameron Keaton to hammer out revenues and costs for projects the city is going to be involved in this year. The meeting was an effort to prepare the budget needs before presenting it to council. “We’re going to lay out the funds available and the costs involved as we prepare to meet with council,” Mavis said.
•The city received a letter from the Ohio Department of Transportation on its bridge inspections. ODOT inspects all bridges that are on state highways. Mavis said the city and its engineers will review the material.
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