MOUNT VERNON — 2023 sidewalk, zoning, and new dump truck discussions might seem mundane or dull, but they are the lifeblood of rural communities.

They help make residents’ lives more comfortable and account for large shares of the annual budget. And they are among the accomplishments village officials reported for 2023.

Centerburg

Centerburg started the year celebrating the opening of Knox Community Hospital’s Centerburg Health & Wellness Center. The $9 million, 17,000-square-foot facility features primary and specialty care. It also offers outpatient medical services and a fitness center.

Knox Community Hospital CEO Bruce White (holding scissors) does the honors during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for KCH’s new Centerburg Health & Wellness facility, located at 3595 Columbus Rd., on Jan. 13, 2023. To his left are Centerburg Mayor Greg Sands, Knox County Commissioner Bill Pursel, Hilliar Township Trustee Gary Ross, and Charlie Brenneman, chair of KCH’s Properties and Facilities Committee and member of its Board of Trustees.

The village also welcomed its first farmers’ market. Katie Hux (More Space at Your Place) and a farmers’ market committee led the community effort. OSU Extension provided guidance.

Centerburg’s Heart of Ohio Business Association will host the market in 2024.

A sidewalk program that helps residents cover the cost of sidewalk repairs, a traffic study for Main Street, annexation of 113 acres, new zoning laws, and a new playground for Memorial Park are among the other notable accomplishments in 2023.

“I feel Centerburg is truly headed in the right direction going into 2024,” Village Administrator Teri Wise said via email. “New opportunities and great things are in the future for Centerburg.”

Danville

Danville experienced its most visible change in February when new street lights arrived on the downtown corridor.

Main-Market & Beyond, Danville’s newly formed business association, raised nearly $160,000 over the last year to install 31 streetlights along the village’s downtown corridor. The streetlights line Market Street, as seen here, and Main Street, up near the square.

The village’s business association, Main-Market & Beyond, spearheaded the effort. The Knox County Foundation chipped in with $71,000 in funding. The Danville community raised the remaining $89,000.

In January, the village completed new zoning laws and regulations. Mayor Joe Mazzari said zoning officer Todd Bender tackles problems with “an attitude on how he can help that person with their issue.”

“It’s not just a job to find violations and fine people. It’s solving the problem so it does not come back up again,” Mazzari said.

Mazzari cited the village’s planning committee as a driving force in the community. It is bringing the business district back together and meeting regularly to look at the village’s needs.

The mayor said the atmosphere of the village is “change.” Not to make the village different but to move with the times to keep it alive and a growing community.

In 2024, the village plans to upgrade its water system and clean out the magnesium. Additionally, Danville is applying for a grant to connect the Kokosing Gap and Mohican Valley bike trails.

Fredericktown

The village took a big step forward in its streetscape project when it completed the engineering and design phase in 2023. The Ohio Department of Transportation awarded Smith Paving the $1.6 million project. The company expects to start the project in March 2024.

A finished street improvement project involved milling and paving Mulberry Street from High Street to Oak Street and the older portion of Struble Circle. Kokosing Construction completed the project for just under $200,000.

Plate with a picture of a sugar shack at Bonhomie Acres Maple Syrup
The 2023 plate features a sugar shack at Bonhomie Acres Maple Syrup Credit: Cheryl Splain

Safety was enhanced through two grants.

A $5,578 Ohio Environmental Protection Agency grant for a mechanical water main valve and fire hydrant opening/closing device will help prevent on-the-job injuries to village employees.

A $7,196 Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation graft for inflatable trench shoring will enhance safety for workers performing water and sewer taps.

Looking ahead, village officials hope to improve the quality of life for village residents and visitors through three grant applications:

•$229,000 Ohio Public Works Commission for replacing curb and gutter, milling and paving of 600 feet on East College Street 

•$500,000 in federal funding for aesthetic improvements to the overpass bridge on State Route 95

•$600,000 in federal funding for 2,500 feet of new sidewalk connecting West Sandusky Street and the school campus to Bollinger Drive

Village officials expect to hear how the village fares on the requests in early 2024.

Gambier

Mayor Leeman Kessler reports the biggest infrastructure improvement dollar-wise is the shared-use path from the Ward/Wiggin Street intersection down to and including the roundabout project set for State Routes 229 and 308.

This is an aerial view of Gambier’s proposed roundabout along the intersection of Wiggins Street and State Route 229. 

The exact amount of the Ohio Department of Transportation grant for the path is not known, but the approximate cost is $331,000. The roundabout, scheduled for construction next summer, will cost over $2 million.

2023 also brought the completion of the nature play area project at Community Park. The $141,000 project includes hills and tunnels and provides children with a more exciting play area. Slides are scheduled for a spring installation.

A sidewalk project shelved in 2015 was finished along parts of Ward, Brooklyn, and Kokosing streets. Ward and West Brooklyn streets also saw $30,000 in stormwater improvements.

Equipment purchases include an emergency generator for the Community Center and a backhoe to replace a 40-year-old model. The village also bought a dump truck and police cruiser.

The village continued its 43022 Day and introduced December’s Gambier Village Lights Sip, Shop, and Stroll event. Additional highlights include opening the Gambier Storybook Trail in April and a new zoning code taking effect in June.

by Cheryl Splain December 30, 2023