MOUNT VERNON — City Inspector Scott Zimmerman said Mount Vernon has had issues with people living in campers, which is not permitted under city code.
“The ordinance was a little bit foggy on that. We’re going to get that cleaned up; that’s going to go to council, so it’ll be very clear-cut,” he said.
Zimmerman said he’s also working to clean up city codes relating to trailers. Under the current code, residents are only allowed one trailer, boat, or camper.
“We’re going to get it cleaned up and make it a little friendlier where you could have a camper, you could have a boat,” he said.
“You can actually have one of those if it’s on an approved surface in your driveway up front, and then the rest can be either in the side yard or in the back.”
Tire Recycle Day a success
Zimmerman said the city’s tire recycling day at Ariel-Foundation Park brought in 1,450 tires, nearly two semi-truck loads.
He reminded residents to keep up with mowing and trash pickup with the arrival of good weather.
“Now that the weather’s starting to break, we’re looking at the exterior structures of the buildings: peeling paint, rotten wood,” he said.
“A lot of people are probably missing shingles, things like that. Be cognizant of that and take a look at it and address it as you need to.”
Zimmerman encouraged residents to call his office at 740-393-9577 if they receive a violation letter or have any questions.
He also encouraged them to call if they want to run a business out of their home.
“There are certain stipulations and certain requirements you have to meet to be able to do this. You can’t just open your garage up and start working on cars,” he said. “We need to look at the zoning, you have to have special conditions on that.”
Zimmerman participated in the inspection of the buildings on North Main and Chestnut streets.
“They were beyond repairs and they are going to be demolished. The scaffolding and netting that was put up are a safety feature. We’re also pulling some of the cornerstones that will be a tribute of some sort to Mr. (Henry) Curtis and his legacy here in the city,” he said.
Mayor Matt Starr said city council will see legislation to approve sending out Requests for Qualification for a demolition contractor.
Mount Vernon Police Department seeks grants
Assistant Police Chief Andy Burns said calls for service in March remained steady.
“Our guys are really working the warrants hard as well as traffic enforcement. We had a total of 451 traffic stops in the last month,” Burns said. “A large portion of those come from our dedicated traffic enforcement officer, so he’s staying pretty busy.”
Burns said the department received a Safe Neighborhood grant and hopes to receive one for violent crime reduction.
“That’s going to specifically go toward investigations, help with our detective division, then we’ll also cover some overtime for some special operations,” he explained.
The department is working on another grant to upgrade its software.
“We had a recent leads audit which we passed, but there are some things that they warned us about that would be coming. Systems, for example, have to operate on Windows 11,” he said.
“So we’ve got to accommodate for that; we’ve got to buy software. And, of course, anybody that uses software knows that that’s not a one-time fee; they keep that going perpetually.”
The department is short one position and is interviewing candidates.
Burns reminded residents that construction season is starting and bicycles are more prevalent with the nicer weather.
Nice weather also brings a packed PAK United schedule. The first event is metal detecting set for April 15 at Ariel-Foundation Park from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The department will participate in Love in Action Day in Galion on May 3. The event is an outing for children in hospice care.
Fire department focuses on tech training
The MVFD had 622 calls for service in March, bringing the year-to-date total to 1,763.
Christopher reminded township residents that the burn ban is still in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. through May. He noted that even with the rain, grass and brush are very dry coming out of winter, and the department has responded to several grass fires.
Additionally, strong winds contribute to fire hazards.
Residents can take trees and debris to the Thayer Road compost facility.
The burn ban does not affect city residents, but they must still follow Ohio EPA burn regulations.
Thirty-three employees completed swift water rescue training. Others completed the rope rescue class.
The new medic is now in Loudonville being outfitted.
Christopher said it should arrive in Mount Vernon in a couple of weeks. After it’s fitted with shelving, the MVFD will put it into service.
Upstairs painting and new flooring on the street level at the Gambier Street station are complete. Upcoming projects include security upgrades, including cameras and card readers for the doors.
Updated resource cards from Mental Health & Recovery Board
Starr said the Mental Health and Recovery Board for Licking and Knox Counties updated resource cards for 211, 988, and 911; community resources; and suicide warning signs for adults and youth.
Starr said there were 11 incidents last month involving individuals who threatened or attempted suicide or whose families and friends were concerned they would harm themselves.
“It kind of fluctuates, but 11 to 12 seems to be about the median, I think, for us,” he said.
Starr said the city is beginning to explore how to use approximately $40,000 in OneOhio opioid settlement funds.
“We have not spent any of our OneOhio funds that the city has collected, but we have ideas,” he said. “We put together a grant application for people to use; these would be smaller grants.”
Knox County is part of the OneOhio Region 18. The region previously decided to use OneOhio funds on prevention and education.
