MOUNT VERNON — Days are getting shorter and cooler and the city is preparing for autumn activities and winter weather, Mayor Richard Mavis said on Friday.
The ubiquitous sign of fall are leaves on the ground, and Mavis remarked that the rules regarding leaves are still in effect. Homeowners are to rake their leaves to the tree lawn only. Leaves should not be piled up along the curb and should not be raked onto the street.
The street department facility on Cougar Drive started accepting leaf drop off on Oct. 11, and is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents may take their leaves to that facility, but must take bags and containers home with them. On Saturdays, the compost area on Thayer Road is open and leaves may be taken there as well.
Mavis said although people may see trucks and leaf equipment out and about the last week of October, official leaf pickup by the city’s three crews will begin Monday, Nov. 1. The equipment, including the leaf vacuum machines, has been rehabbed.
“We feel good about starting the season with good equipment. The goal is to have all the leaves picked up by Thanksgiving,” Mavis said.
Two special days are coming up, Halloween and Veterans Day. Trick-or-treat night is Saturday, Oct. 30 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. People should be extra cautious on that evening, Mavis said. Veterans Day is Nov. 11. There are 1,627 veterans’ graves in Mound View Cemetery and 140 in Mount Calvary Cemetery. Six of those are Revolutionary War veterans.
Winter weather brings snow and ice, and the city hopes to have the salt barns “pretty well full” before bad weather hits. Mavis said salt prices this year have increased by $2 a ton, raising the cost to $56.58 per ton.
“In a typical winter, we’ll use 800 to 1,000 tons of salt. To help save some money, we have been doing a 50-50 mix of salt and pea gravel,” he said.
Mavis said the Edgewood Road/Ohio 229 intersection project is on schedule. The curb on the south side is complete, and crews are now preparing the north side for curb and drainage work.
