MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Council has approved the first step toward an expected $3.75 million improvement project to the 46-year-old Municipal Building.
Local lawmakers, who authorized using American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project nearly a year ago, on Tuesday approved a $78,000 contract with Richland Engineering for preliminary architectural and engineering work on a list of potential improvements.
“We don’t know the exact cost of each of these elements,” city engineer Bob Bianchi told council. “This contract we’re going to enter into will help us identify further the cost and the scope of work for each element.
“Then we will be able to see what we can actually do with this building, because we have $3.75 million and that’s it,” he said.
In April 2022, Mayor Tim Theaker told council the nine-story city building has not been renovated since its construction in 1976 and that the foundation is crumbling in places.
“If we don’t do something, I don’t want to be in the building when it collapses,” the mayor said at the time. “That’s something that we have to start now because this is something that is definitely needed.
“If we don’t address it and fix this building up, it’s going to fall apart,” Theaker said.
Bianchi identified several potential projects, including:
— steps into the building from Diamond Street.
— a retaining wall along the Park Avenue side of the building that he said is failing.
“We’re going look at options to replace the wall, maybe improve the wall, maybe modify it. We don’t know exactly, but something needs done with that wall,” Bianchi said.
— the building mezzanine coming into the first floor into the police department from the parking lot.
“When you look up, you see steel, you see concrete (that’s failing.) There’s some work that needs to happen with that.”
Mansfield building enhancements
— a failing, cast-iron sanitary sewer system that was installed when the building was constructed.
“The men’s section is for some reason having corroded issues. The pipe is cracking and failing. That sanitary system is tucked away in a cavity of this building that’s very difficult to get to. So the cost to fix that pipework could be very expensive. We don’t know the scope of what it’s gonna be, but that needs to certainly be repaired,” Bianchi said.
— potential improvements to meet ADA requirements. “Our restrooms will be evaluated and we’ll look at ADA compatibility,” he said.
— leaking window frames throughout the building.
“We are looking at alternatives, not to replace the entire framing, but maybe do a modification to the window and then set a window and replace the glass and some of the framing, but not the whole system,” Bianchi said.
— repairing the ceiling on the third floor of the building.
— potentially installing kitchenettes on some floors for city workers who wash their dishes after eating lunches.
“Of course, that is the lowest priority. I don’t think we’ll get there because we’ve got so many of these other improvements that are gonna take that $3.75 million,” the engineer said.
The contract approved by City Council will allow the city to enter into the first phase of the design, during which the scope and cost of each project will be determined.
“After that’s done, we’ll go into phase two. Phase two will be the final design of those elements that we have selected, based off the cost,” Bianchi said.
“Again, this is ARPA dollars, so we have to have all the money spent by Dec. 31, 2026. I anticipate the full scope of design will be roughly $300,000. And then, then we’ll have about $3.3 million to do the construction,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, City Council:
— approved a six-month, $78,600 contract with 12 Point Consulting, LLC, to provide Ohio EPA-mandated Class IV water supply certified operation services at the city’s water treatment plant. Funds for the contract will come from the water fund and the water treatment plan contractual services line item.
— approved a resolution supporting Ohio’s application to receive funding from the “Corridor Identification Program.”
The program could eventually lead to Amtrak providing new passenger rail service throughout the state. One proposed new route from Cleveland to Columbus to Dayton to Cincinnati would include a train stop in nearby Crestline.
The federal government has offered the state full funding to determine see if such passenger service is feasible, but the state must apply for it before March 20.
— voted to accept a $21,000 grant from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services to be used for a new officer recruitment campaign to fill current and anticipated vacancies in the Mansfield Police Department.
— voted to accept a $173,000 grant from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services to be used for the second-year renewal costs of the city’s ShotSpotter gunshot detection program and its license plate reader camera program.
— voted to appropriate $1,335 to upgrade city IT equipment to ensure council sessions are private and secure when someone participates in an executive session via Zoom.
— voted to approve the trade-in of “unneeded, obsolete or unfit” METRICH Enforcement Unit equipment. The trade-in will create a $1,700 credit that will be used for updated covert operation equipment, which will cost $4,275 after the credit is applied.
