MANSFIELD — The Mansfield Control Board on Tuesday approved a $707,554 bid from R&I Construction Inc. in Tiffin to replace the crumbling, double-arch bridge at North Lake Park with a new, single-arch span.
Mansfield City Council approved the work in February, which will use a $500,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission to cover about 70 percent of the cost.
The remaining money will come from the city’s sewer fund, city engineer Bob Bianchi said Tuesday, adding that R&I Construction is certified by the Ohio Department of Transportation to do such bridge work.
He said seven companies had submitted bids to do the work.
The 121-year-old sandstone structure crosses the creek just before it flows into the lake at the park on the city’s northeast side. The northern section of the wall on the western side of the bridge has completely collapsed and concrete barriers were placed there for safety.
Bianchi has the twin arches under the bridge are “flattening out” and becoming unsafe. The engineer said the plan is to replace the bridge with a single-arch bridge that re-uses the sandstone from the current structure.
The board also approved a contract not to exceed $83,000 to K.E. McCartney & Associates to inspect the bridge when it’s completed. Bianchi said he believes the actual inspection fees will be far less.
The control board also approved a request from Mansfield Fire Department Chief Steve Strickling to replace three aging Lifepack 15 units at a cost of $66,753. The units are used on rescue squads and engine companies, primarily as heart monitors and defibrillators.
He said the lifespan of one of the units is around eight years and the MFD has a couple more than 10 years old.
Strickling, who said his department has 11 of the units, said he will be able to use $61,199 in a COVID-19 grant to cover almost all of the costs. The rest will come from funds in the fire budget, he said.
