MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Engineer Bob Bianchi brought props for his presentation to city council Tuesday night.
Bianchi held a line-of-sight traffic signal system in his hand as he made a pitch for upgrading the technology at 62 city intersections.
Bianchi said the proposed Path Master system should lower response times for the Mansfield Fire Department by clearing intersections quicker and more efficiently.
The system uses GPS technology to determine where a fire truck or EMS vehicle is located and where it is going. The system then changes the lights at appropriate intersections to allow emergency vehicles to travel more quickly and safely.
Bianchi and Mansfield Fire Department Chief Steve Strickling said the Path Master system is safer and more efficient than the current line-of-sight technology, which begins to change a traffic signal when it “sees” an emergency vehicle approaching.
It’s also more up-to-date.
“The system we have now has a lot of maintenance issues and is not fully functional,” Strickling said. “There are spots where it’s not working.
“We have talked about this over time, how much more money do we want to put into the old system versus getting a system that is newer, better and safer.”
Bianchi said he and Strickling have discussed upgrading the system for years, but there was never room in the budget.
“Without ARPA, I don’t believe we’d be here today,” Bianchi said.
The total cost of the project, including intersection devices, 10-year connectivity packages and corresponding equipment for 19 fire department vehicles, is $509,400. Two-thirds of the cost would be paid for with the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Strickling said the system could also reduce accidents between motorists and emergency vehicles, noting there have been several accidents, but few have resulted in injury. He added that most accidents related to line-of-sight system failure involve civilians rather than fire department vehicles.
He explained that sometimes a car stops at a green light to let a firetruck pass and gets rear-ended by another vehicle as a result.
Of the city’s 145 intersections with traffic signals, Bianchi said 62 are equipped with the current preemption system, which will be replaced with the new technology.
Those are primarily on the city’s main arteries: downtown, Lexington Avenue, Park Avenue, Trimble Road and Ohio 13 near the Possum Run Road interchange near I-71.
Bianchi said there are additional intersections he’d like to equip with preemption systems, but the city doesn’t have the funding at this time.
“If we wanted to do extend further, and let’s say do an additional 10 for 20 intersections, we would have to pay about $6,700 per intersection,” he said.
The system could also allow for police or other city vehicles like snow plows to be added to the system at a cost of $5,600 per vehicle, though Bianchi said the city would likely equip more intersections first.
Sterkel Park for All
Council also discussed plans to spend $400,000 on the initial phase of the Sterkel Park for All.
The legislation, scheduled for a vote on June 6, will assist with constructing zone one of the planned five-zone park on the 20-acre site off Hillcrest Street.
Specifically, the city’s funds will pay for site grading, storm sewer installation, all hard surfaces (primarily concrete), electrical service and restrooms that are compliant with all requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The city’s share will be funded with $200,000 from the city’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds and $200,000 from the Parks & Recreation Department.
Equipment planned for zone one includes a pavilion/shelter, pickleball courts, fitness equipment, ping-pong tables, tables and benches, game tables, bike racks and fencing.
If approved, bids will be sought in June and construction done by November, according to Mark Abrams, superintendent of the city Parks & Recreation Department.
“If we move as fast as we possibly can, we can have an equipment starting to be installed at the end of September,” Bianchi said.
Officials have said the ADA-compliant park will feature five age-appropriate zones with equipment and opportunities to “enhance a child’s mobility and sensory skills, challenge athletic users, support senior citizen activities and unite families.”
The expected total cost of the park is $5.4 million and a public/private fundraising drive, which officially began in August 2022, continues to move along, according to Chriss Harris of CHarris Consulting.
The city has already committed to install the necessary water and sewer lines. The water line has been completed, but the city has yet to determine if their sewer department can complete the work in time or whether it will be contracted out.
If the city completes the work “in house,” it will count towards its $200,000 contribution as an in-kind donation, Bianchi said. If not, the city may need to use funds from its parks budget or sewer fund.
Abrams said his department has about $25,000 of unappropriated funds that could be used without impacting the parks budget.
“Good, because that’s a concern I have,” Councilwoman Kimberly Moton said. “I’m all for this project and I definitely understand the need for parks such as this. But we do have a responsibility within the city for other parks.”
Abrams said the parks department’s contribution to Sterkel Park comes largely from unappropriated money that’s accumulated over the last several years.
“It doesn’t affect our budget for this year,” he said. “We still have operating money and still can do the things that we plan on doing this year.”
Councilman Alomar Davenport asked Abrams if the funds to be used for Sterkel came from money he’d once “socked away” for a skatepark project that never moved forward. Abrams said yes.
In other news…
Council also authorized the purchase of four 2023 Dodge Durango Pursuit AWD at a total cost of $256,042.24. The vehicles will be purchased from the Jim Shorkey Auto Group in North Huntingdon, Penn.
Chief Keith Porch of the Mansfield Police Department said he was told by the dealership that the vehicles will be available at the end of the month and sold “first come, first serve.”
Council voted to accept $20,000 for a new K9 officer from the Richland Community Development Group.
The money was generated through the Richland Young Professionals’ NAME fundraiser. The funds won’t be used to purchase a new dog and provide training until manpower improves for the short-staffed department, according to Porch.
“With staffing the way it is now, I can’t pull from the current ranks to have another K-9 handler on the department,” Porch said.
“Depending on the training, it could be up to 12 weeks to train a handler with a new dog. We just can’t spare that right now.”
The MPD currently has two K-9 teams. Each has a dual-service that can handle drug detection patrol work.
The department had three K-9 teams before K-9 Denise retired in November 2022 and her handler, Officer Korey Kaufman, was moved into the detective bureau.’
“That (donation) money will stay there until our staffing levels improve and we can purchase a dog and start a new K-9 team,” Porch said. “It’s just a matter of determining when we can do that.”
Council passed a resolution in honor of Gary Foster, who worked for the city for 31 years before retiring March 1.
Foster had served as Operations Supervisor of the Clearfork Reservoir since June 2009.
“Through Mr. Foster’s dedication and tremendous work effort, the Reservoir has been a place of nature, beauty and recreation for the Mansfield community,” the resolution read.
His career with the city began when he was appointed to the Mansfield Police Department in 1991. As a patrol officer, he was assigned to the community services bureau patrol section. He was also a member of the SWAT and Allied Special Operations Response Team (ASORT).
He received numerous special commendation awards and letters of recognition for his integrity and perseverance on the job, according to the resolution. He also earned a perfect score on his SWAT physical fitness test.
Council voted to increase the pay grade of a Clearfork Reservoir maintenance technician position and change the position from motor equipment operator to special police maintenance tech.
The change will require the employee to have an Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) certification and better need staffing needs at the reservoir, according to human resources director Sharon May.
Finally, council voted to increase the pay cap for the deputy city engineer, who recently received his professional engineer certificate.
