MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Council will be asked Tuesday to take two steps forward on an eventual path that will one day connect the B&O Trail to downtown Mansfield.
City engineer Bob Bianchi will ask local lawmakers to consider seeking bids for a $1.9 million connector trail between the B&O and Trimble Road — and also approve asking for bids on a separate $1 million project to link Trimble to the Mansfield Art Center via a trail along Millsboro Road.
Council has previously approved its share of the funding for the 1.1-mile connector trail. Bianchi said he hopes work can begin in February and be completed by September.
Work will begin this month on a tunnel beneath Trimble Road that should be completed this fall, allowing bicyclists, walkers and others to safely cross the busy, four-lane road.
As part of that work, Bianchi said he anticipates Trimble Road will be closed for 45 days during tunnel construction, likely beginning around Aug. 12.
According to Bianchi, the tunnel under the 63-foot wide Trimble Road will be funded by:
— $700,000 from Richland County American Rescue Plan Act through Richland County commissioners;
— $250,000 from the city’s ARPA;
— $200,000 from the Richland County Foundation;
— $91,123 from the city’s permissive sales tax;
— $61,597 from the city sewer fund;
— $67,915 from the city water fund.
Lawmakers in 2023 approved the design work for the trail along Millsboro Road, a construction project that will be funded almost 100 percent by grants from the Richland County Regional Planning Commission ($808,000) and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources ($200,000) via the state capital budget.
Less than 5 percent of that project’s costs will come from city funds via a portion of the city’s permissive sales tax, Bianchi said.
“Credit goes to State Rep. Marilyn John and State Sen. Mark Romanchuk for making sure that state capital funding would be received for the project,” Bianchi said.
The engineer said the plan for the trail along Millsboro is to do the work between May and August of 2025.
Once that work is done, the last section needed to connect the B&O into the downtown will be to take a portion of Marion Avenue and dedicate space in it for bicylists/walkers, etc.
“It’s going to be interesting because Marion Avenue is a very wide street. We don’t need that much pavement width for two lanes. So the good thing is we have real estate to work with,” Bianchi said.
“It’s going to be a matter of how we use the roadway and convert that to a separate path to minimize disturbance on residential properties,” he said.
“Most likely the trail will be installed along the east side of Marion from Millsboro to Glessner Avenue. The trickiest part will be Glessner heading north, namely around the curve near the (Red) Fox (Tavern).
“But once we figure out how we’re going to maneuver that area, we feel very comfortable with how we will get it to the downtown,” Bianchi said.
(Below is a PDF showing all legislation planned for Mansfield City Council on Tuesday.)
No vote planned on cannabis dispensary zoning
What council won’t do, however, is vote on zoning regulations for a possible recreational cannabis dispensary.
Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry told lawmakers at their most recent meeting July 16 she hoped to have those regulations to them for their review in advance of the Aug. 6 meeting.
But the mayor said last week the proposal is not ready.
“We do have an outside law firm reviewing the drafted language. It’s just not going to be done in time for Tuesday,” Perry said. “I do plan to try to share it in advance before the next (meeting on Aug. 20.)”
The zoning regulations are needed because City Council voted 5-3 on June 19 against a six-month moratorium on local dispensaries, opening the door for businesses seeking to gain state licenses to operate in Mansfield.
The mayor said it’s important the city get the zoning done right. Ohioans voted in November to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older.
“It’s our first one (dispensary) … that’s (what makes it) so different. We just want to make sure we have all of our bases covered,” Perry said.
The mayor said that delay means lawmakers will also not vote yet on proposed legislation that would would eliminate a ban on medical marijuana facilities enacted by a previous City Council seven years ago.
It’s not known if the delay will impact the placement of a recreational dispensary in Mansfield. The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control confirmed Friday it will begin issuing licenses this week to allow dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana, according to a story on the WBNS 10-TV website.
Councilwoman At-Large Stephanie Zader said in July that having the zoning restrictions in place is crucial before the state begins to process applicants interested in the Mansfield market.
“I’ve already received phone calls from local real estate agents and investors looking for locations to put dispensaries in,” she said during the most recent council meeting.
“So if we’re not prepared, that’s not gonna be a good thing for (permitting and development) department and (we could be) overwhelming them with those things,” Zader said.
“We don’t want someone buying property and then it’s not going (to meet zoning requirements),” she said.
Public hearing on former Ohio Brass, committee meetings planned
A public hearing is scheduled Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. on a proposal to designate the Ohio Brass Company Administration Building at 380 N. Main St. with a historic designation, giving local landmark status to a company that played an integral part in the city’s history.
The future of the immaculate, five-story brick building at 380 N. Main St. — which cost local industrialist Frank Black $250,000 to build in 1926 — may get even brighter with a new historic status.
Downtown Mansfield Inc. CEO Jennifer Kime said the designation could set the stage for potential redevelopment of what remains from what was once among the most important manufacturers in the city’s history.
A vote on that historic status, recommended by the City of Mansfield Historic Preservation Commission and the city Planning Commission, is expected during council’s legislative session.
There are also three committee meetings scheduled to discuss pending legislation. The streets committee meets at 6:05 p.m., followed by the parks committee at 6:15 p.m. and the safety committee at 6:35 p.m.
Council’s caucus session is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., followed immediately by the legislative meeting.
