MANSFIELD — Chuck Hahn believes the West End Neighborhood Plan is a great example of what can be done with public-private partnerships.
Speaking to Mansfield City Council on Tuesday evening, the owner of the Cleveland Financial Group presented the city with a $21,000 donation for the project, scheduled to break ground in early 2022.
“Two years ago, we formed an advisory group committee under the Richland Community Development Group. Since that time, we started to raise some private funds,” Hahn said. “This $21,000 is from that, mostly raised in the last calendar year to help with expenses.
“This is a $1 million project and $21,000 is just a drop in the bucket. But what we hope to show you is we’re going to continue to try to raise private funds. This may be just an initial step of working with private dollars and public dollars on development projects in the city and the county.”
The Richland County Foundation on Tuesday also awarded a $41,287 grant though its Gorman Fund for the project, an award made at the recommendation of James C. Gorman.
The plan, created by EDGE Landscape, Architecture, Urban Design and Planning, is aimed at improving an area whose geographic boundaries are generally Marion Avenue/Park Avenue West to the west and north; South Main Street to the east; and Glessner Avenue to the south.
The first phase of the project, with an estimated construction cost of $1 million, will improve Glessner Avenue between Wood Street and Sturges and Arthur avenues.
The bulk of the money for the project is coming via the city’s federal Community Development Block Grant funds.
The private funding helps to fill any remaining gaps needed before construction bids are solicited, according to Adrian Ackerman, the city’s community development & housing director.
She hopes to have a contractor in place by February — and to begin work when the weather improves in the spring.
“I am definitely ready to see the project get started,” Ackerman said. “It has been a long time in the making.
“It will be great to get phase one off the ground and having some momentum going forward to continue.”
The first phase will update and upgrade sidewalks, install new street lighting and improved/update crosswalks (including ADA-compliant curb ramps), as well as retaining walls and more decorative elements such as tree lawns and other beautification efforts.
Hahn pointed out private donations have played a part in other aspects of the plan.
“A year ago, we raised $37,000 (in private funds) to help pay for the engineering costs when there was no money to get this project moving along,” Hahn said.
Those costs were divided into thirds among private donations, the Richland County Land Bank and the City of Mansfield.
“We are trying to set some precedence here that this is something we have (helped) move forward and we are having these discussions frequently,” Hahn said.
Stephanie Zader, At-large member of City Council, said she abstained from voting on the proposals due to personal conflicts of interest in the area. But she praised the work being done.
“It’s a good project. I’ve talked with Adrian for hours about this project. She has done a good job. For awhile she was scrambling, thinking she wasn’t going to have the money.
“The next thing I knew she was calling me excited because she had figured it out. I’m a huge fan of public-private partnerships. I love to see the community and the local government come together,” Zader said.
