MOUNT VERNON — The city of Mount Vernon is getting ready for spring and the availability of hot mix asphalt.
Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Mavis said the city will begin an extensive project repairing the asphalt on Coshocton Avenue as soon as hot mix is available. He said both local companies they purchase from, Kokosing Construction and Small’s Sand & Gravel, are expected to fire up the hot mix in the next 10 days or so.
Mavis said the area of Coshocton Avenue between Park Street and Center Street will get an overhaul, as well as an area of West High Street just west of the railroad tracks. They plan to grind out the rough areas, then pave them over with the hot mix asphalt.
“It’s similar to the project we did on Sandusky Street,” said Mavis. “It won’t take a long time and there’s not, hopefully, a lot of inconveniences. We plan to do it as soon as possible once the weather warms up enough.”
The fix is needed because those two areas have suffered severe peeling of asphalt and potholes due to the harsh winter Knox County had. Mavis had asked the Ohio Department of Transportation, which is responsible for state routes, to repave the area, but they said Coshocton Avenue is not on the schedule for a couple of years.
Those two areas are just two of the many the city has encountered this year with potholes. Mavis said city crews have been out filling the potholes as quickly as possible with cold mix, and will be turning to the hot mix as soon as it becomes available.
City Council recently passed legislation allowing the city to spend up to $450,000 this year on paving projects. Mavis said Coshocton Avenue was not on the original list of projects and will have to be included in that price.
“We’re going to have to use street money to do that section, which we didn’t count on before,” he said. “It may keep us from doing some smaller jobs, but we’ll do as much as we can.”
One area that’s also being looked at by city officials to fix is the west end of Venture Drive. Mavis said the city was responsible, in the original plans, for the road up to the end of the curbs, as the shopping center and parking area was supposed to have been extended. The road between the parking area and what the city is responsible for has broken up and Mavis said they are looking at temporary fixes for it. They are attempting to work with the owner of the property to get that fixed and paid for.
In other news, Mavis said the Center Run interceptor lining project is under way. About 1,000 feet of the lining was put in place this week. He said it takes about a day for the lining to dry, then workers can go in and cut out manholes and connector lines.
