Who will benefit from “The Edgewood Road Project?”
Certainly the residents of the east end won’t, and will have to live with the consequences day and night.
Nor will anyone living on New Gambier Road, all the way to Upper Gilchrist Rd.
Anyone driving on an already traffic congested Coshocton Ave. won’t.
So, who might benefit?
McDaniel CPA notified Mount Vernon city officials Monday morning that it is resigning from its payroll agreement with the city.
In the resignation letter, CPA Rene McDaniel cited a lack of confidence that payroll will be finalized in a timely manner going forward or that necessary information will be provided.
The letter states the firm has “encountered roadblocks every step of the way” from the city auditor’s office. It also states that auditor staff “have not been forthcoming with information needed to process payroll correctly and have then accused our office of making mistakes.”
In February 2023, the City of Mount Vernon contracted with Knox County to handle the city’s IT services. Earlier this year, the county also took over operating and maintaining the city’s new phone system.
While the personnel side of the relationship works well, the county is having difficulty getting paid.
County IT Director Kyle Webb told the county commissioners Aug. 8 that the city still owes nearly $14,000 for services from January through June 2024.
Mount Vernon News Article from February 12, 2019. Then City Councilman Matt Starr had two high school students do an informal study on how much time Edgewood Road saves drivers.
Drivers who use residential streets to get from the south side of Mount Vernon to the retail area east on Coshocton Road do not save any appreciable amount of time over those who use the state routes to make the same drive.
Relating to streets, Tammy and Dennis Swingle spoke to council in a Streets and Public Buildings Committee meeting prior to the legislative session. Tammy Swingle said that speed humps are a simple and inexpensive solution to get drivers to comply with the speed limit, reduce noise, and reduce the chances of accidents at the intersection of Edgewood Road and Chestnut Street.
Dennis Swingle reiterated that speed humps would go a long way toward helping solve Edgewood Road traffic problems as well as increased police presence and writing of tickets.
Ball said that speed humps require a level of design experience and care that the city does not have, which is one of the reasons the city wants to enlist the services of an engineering firm. Speed humps are not allowed on inclines, and if an accident should occur because of a speed hump, the city would be held responsible.
At its Feb. 26 meeting, council postponed a vote on legislation authorizing a traffic study for the Edgewood Road area. Monday, Ball outlined three general parameters given to the consulting firm who would do the traffic study:
Ball said those long-term alternatives have not yet been defined and that contrary to public comments circulating around, no decision has been made how to proceed.
“At this point we are collecting alternatives; we are not evaluating alternatives. Everything is on the table, even doing nothing,” he said.
The public is invited to attend a meeting on Tuesday, March 13, from 6:30 to 8 pm at the Knox County Memorial Building. The five-station format will have information on traffic and speed counts in the Edgewood Road area, data from the police department on the number of tickets issued and illegal truck traffic, and maps on which residents can write their suggestions for speed humps or other improvements. Residents will also have the opportunity to record their comments or suggestions.
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