MANSFIELD, Ohio — Nelson Shogren, chairman of Richland Moves!, was all smiles Tuesday evening after Mansfield City Council unanimously approved the creation of a bicycle loop within the city during their regular meeting Tuesday.
The 5.73 mile loop designates certain city streets as bike routes with the placement of appropriate signs and road stencils called sharrows. It does not involve road-widening, painting of lanes, placement of lane-division curbs or other physical construction.
The physical elements of the loop consist of approximately 120 signs mounted on posts, 46 directional route arrow signs, and 200 sharrow stencils applied to city roadways.
In collaboration with Richland Public Health and the Communities Preventing Chronic Disease grant, costs for the signage and stenciling paint and materials are covered. Labor for installing posts, signs and placing stenciling will be done by members of the Ohio Contractors Association.
Shogren said the equipment has been ordered and that they hope to have the signs installed and the sharrows spray-painted by the first or second week of July.
“Everything came together quickly and with a lot of cooperation from a lot of people,” he said.
He added, “We have a lot of work ahead of us. Number one is education. We have a lot of public safety campaigning to do to educate cyclists how to use a shared lane and let people know how to share lanes with cyclists.
“Everybody’s safety is involved–both motorists and cyclists, so that’s going to be our main focus.”
Council also recognized Det. Christopher Brunk for his 33 years of service with the Mansfield Police Department. He retired June 5.
Brunk was appointed to department on June 21, 1982 as a dispatcher and served in that capacity until his appointment as a police officer on Aug. 4, 1984. He served as a patrol officer assigned to the Community Services Bureau Patrol Section for 16 years, until his transfer to the Special Operations Bureau Detective Section Juvenile Unit on April 17, 2000.
Mansfield Police Chief Ken Coontz said, “Chris was a major asset to the Mansfield Police Department.” Coontz said he was one of the best interviewers in the department, adding, “We’ll certainly miss him.”
Brunk was also praised by many council members, who called him a “class act” and “excellent addition to the Mansfield Police Department.”
“It was a great ride, but when the day comes that you need get out, you need to get out,” Brunk commented.
Council also approved:
- Entering into a Local Public Agency Project Agreement with the director of the Ohio Department of Transportation for funding and construction of the Trimble Road Improvement Project
- The demolitions of the properties located at 178 Harker St., 346 High St., 357 Bowman St., 416 St. Clair St. and 585 Burns St.
- A donation from the Mansfield Fire Department Recreation Club in the amount of $6,000 for safety town
“We have a lot of work ahead of us. Number one is education. We have a lot of public safety campaigning to do to educate cyclists how to use a shared lane and let people know how to share lanes with cyclists,” said Nelson Shogren.
