MANSFIELD — First Ward Councilwoman Laura Burns saw things Sunday in Mansfield’s public parks that she wanted to call to the city administration’s attention.
Good things, that is.
“I’ve been on city council since January of 2020. For the last 5.5 years on Sundays, typically I drive around my ward and I just take a gander at what’s going on and report potholes and missing signs and things like that,” she said Tuesday night during a City Council meeting.
“But I also go through and I look at the parks and I rotate through all the parks. And I just thought it was important to note that on this Sunday, every single park that I went to had activity … and in some of them, they were jam-packed,” Burns said.
Improving the city parks has been a focus for Mayor Jodie Perry and her public works director, Louis Andres, since she took office in January 2024. The public has responded, according to Burns.
“Liberty (Park) was overflowing with people and Sterkel (Community Park for All) had so many people there that they were parked on the side of the drive (going into the park),” Burns said.
“There were birthday parties and pickle ball games. It was just really, really nice (to see) that for somebody who grew up in Mansfield. I loved going to the park. I would take my book and hang out and I would be gone for hours,” she recalled of her childhood trips to city parks.
“I definitely know that I romanticize our parks probably more than the average person, but it was so amazing to drive around and see them being fully utilized.
“Sunday was pretty, but it was cold. It wasn’t the perfect day to be outside, but it was just so wonderful and I just wanted to say thank you to our parks department and, for all the work that has happened and is continuing to happen because it is definitely getting utilized,” Burns said.
In her remarks to council, Perry said a planned grand opening and ribbon cutting at Sterkel Park has been postponed due to wet weather that has slowed improvements, including a repaving of the parking lot. It had been scheduled for Friday.
“We just want to make sure we have everything buttoned up and especially the parking lot because it’s been pretty full as Councilwoman Burns noted, and unfortunately this wet weather has made it hard to pave,” the mayor said.
“Theoretically, they’ll be paving Friday. Some of that depends on rain. So we haven’t set a date, we’re gonna kinda see just how that goes, but we’re hoping in the next few weeks to do that,” Perry said.
Other recent events in the city parks have included Bike-A-Palooza in North Lake Park with the Mansfield Police Department, a pop-up skate park at Maple Lake Park with Skate Ohio and a park-wide clean up at the Liberty Park in conjunction with Rewild Liberty Park.
Perry: Economic activity is picking up
Perry told local lawmakers “a lot of things are happening in the (economic) development realm.”
She cited ongoing infrastructure improvements at industrial parks around Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport using American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“We are also getting inquiries on that land already, which is good,” the mayor said.
Perry said she would have legislation at council’s meeting on June 3 to rezone 321 acres near the airport that will allow for more heavy industrial use.
In April, Barrett Thomas, senior director of economic development for Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, told the city Planning Commission the move would help open doors to future high-quality, heavy manufacturing jobs in the city.
“This aligns with the city’s goal of creating high-skill, high-wage employment opportunities,” Thomas said. “We’ve already invested in the infrastructure — such as water, sewer and workforce training partnerships — to support this kind of growth,” he said.
Perry told council the rezoning proposal has been approved by the Planning Commission.
“This just gives us some broader use (options) out there at the airport,” the mayor said.
“I will just say in general, we know that the economy is a little up and down at the moment but we are getting a lot of reach outs from new businesses … businesses looking to expand, so I’m hopeful that we can you know make some announcements later this year,” Perry said.