MV looking for new cemetery mowing contract

Mount Vernon will be putting out an RFP for a new mowing contract for the City of Mount Vernon. City administrator Chris Nosbisch explained that Paradise Landscaping, who completed the mowing for the cemetery for the past 40 years, submitted his resignation recently. Members of the new cemetery commission were looking to get a contract in place, spelling out how damages to stones or monuments are to be addressed.

Nosbisch said that the cost for mowing the cemetery will definitely increase, based on early estimates from some who have asked about RFPs, but the city will have a better outlined contract.

“We were receiving a number of calls about issues in the cemetery in the past few years,” Nosbisch said.

Training for responding to Alzheimer’s and related disorders

Lindsay Glynn is hoping to help staff at the City of Mount Vernon know more about the best ways to handle interactions with people with Alzheimer’s, dementia or other related diseases.

Glynn grew up in the community and has moved back to the area. She has worked in fields of gerontology, and is looking to host a dementia friendly program for Mount Vernon staff about best practices for working with some- one with dementia.

“Because eI love this community and older adults, I want staff to be ready to support older residents and some of their issues,” Glynn said.

Glynn said she will follow up with mayor Tom Wieseler following the meeting about when that training could be held. Council member Craig Engel thanked Glynn for attending and volunteering to train the service. Glynn said her volunteering was spurred on by witnessing someone with Alzhemiers walking by her house and knowing how to react so they were safe, but their
choices were still respected and treated compassionately In the interaction.

Council member Scott Rose said that in his mom’s final days, while she wasn’t diagnosed with the disease, there were times she exhibited some of the behaviors, and that police chief Doug Shannon and Lisbon Mount Vernon Ambulance Services responded adequately and helped the family, but having this training would help all first responders.

Bids for lighting improvements come in under budget

The bids for the infrastructure for the Intellistreets lighting project came in under budget.

City administrator Chris Nosbisch said that either city engineer David Schechinger’s estimates were extremely high, or his conservative estimates on the project were.

Bids came in at $432,000, with the project estimated to cost $500,000.

The infrastructure improvements for the street lights needed to be completed to install the new lights, and would not be impacted by the new streetscape project a few years out.

The Intellistreet lights are slated to be installed this spring following Chalk the Walk, but before the Heritage Days festival in uptown Mount Vernon.