Mansfield Bill 13-296 would grant permission to John Fernyak, a private citizen, to fund the construction and alteration of both Main and Diamond streets between 1st and Olive, into two-way streets. The bill has eight sections and it is important to note that passing the bill does not necessarily mean that the streets will become two-way. The bill requires a traffic study, which will then be evaluated by council before any construction could begin.
You may view the bill in its entirety on pages 76 & 77 of the pending legislation document, which is posted on the city of Mansfield website. You may click here to view it.
A summary of the sections:
Section 1: Allows John Fernyak to fund the project.
Section 2: Requires a comprehensive traffic study and plan completed by a professional engineer within 120 days; the results of which must include a third “turning lane” and guarantee no reduction in level of service.
Section 3: In addition to the “turning lane” the final design must include loading and unloading prohibitions on the travel lanes.
Section 4: The construction and alteration cannot conflict with any other major downtown improvement.
Section 5: The study and plan must comply with Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) standards.
Section 6: If the alteration is accepted after council reviews the traffic study and plan, John Fernyak must enter into a binding agreement with the City of Mansfield to fund the project.
Section 7: If the project is accepted after review 100% of the funding must come from private sources.
Section 8: The measure will take effect as early as possible after passage and approval of the Mayor.
The process will work like this: If council votes to move forward with the bill a study will be conducted at John Fernyak’s expense. Then council will review the results of that study. Council will then decide whether the criteria in the bill have been met by the study and proposal. Based on that information they will decide whether or not to move forward with the proposed construction. Passing the bill on November 19th only authorizes the study.
There will be a first reading of the bill on October 15, second reading on November 5, and voting will take place on November 19.