MANSFIELD — Residents may once again be able to walk from North Lake Park — through Middle Park — and into South Park in Mansfield.
“That’s been one of the most asked-for parks things, to be honest with you,” Mayor Jodie Perry said Tuesday morning, “at least on Facebook. People asking about Middle Park and reopening it.
“The pedestrian foot pathway is the best option for that,” said Perry, who took office in January.
The mayor spoke as the city’s Board of Control approved a $42,500 contract with EMH&T from Columbus to design a new weathered-steel pedestrian bridge at the south end of the park that will again connect the 23-acre park with Park Avenue West.
The crumbling, old sandstone bridge that once allowed cars to drive into the park from Park Avenue was removed in 2022, leaving a huge gap between the park and the road.
Vehicle accessibility from West Fourth Street ended in 2019 when a culvert under the road collapsed, rendering it unsafe for vehicle traffic. It is an easy walk into the park from Fourth Street, though parking is limited nearby.
The design and construction of the pedestrian bridge is estimated at around $200,000, according to city engineer Bob Bianchi, paid for with a share of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds.
City Council is expected to vote on the plan Tuesday night, along with other ARPA-related projects proposed by the mayor.
The bridge will be 45 to 50 feet long and eight feet wide with a concrete deck, Bianchi said.
“It will have a faux arch for esthetic appeal,” he said.
The new bridge will look similar to the bridge in North Lake Park that connects the parking lot to the B&O Trail.
(Below are photos of a pedestrian bridge in North Lake Park in Mansfield.)
There is a sense of urgency behind the project. Contracts for work funded by ARPA must be signed by the end of December 2024 and the work completed by the end of 2026.
“So we are in a very tight timeline with this project, but it’s doable,” Bianchi said. “We hope to open bids here in November and award a contract this year.”
The engineer said he anticipates the bridge will be complete as soon as spring or early summer in 2025.
more coverage involving middle park in mansfield
Perry, who said she recently toured the park, said additional parking in Middle Park is also under consideration.
Public Works Director Louis Andres said parks department workers cleaned out the park earlier this year, including removing garbage and man-made debris from the creek that flows through it.
The three parks — South, Middle and North Lake — were laid out, planted and dedicated in 1887. The entire continuum of public green land was originally called by one name — Sherman-Heineman Park.
Sherman was Sen. John Sherman, who donated the land of South Park. Heineman was the Mansfield businessman, Abram Heineman, who gave the land for North Lake.