Public parking lot planned along Trimble Road near tunnel to B&O connector trail

MANSFIELD — A public parking lot is planned along the east side of Trimble Road near the tunnel that leads to the B&O Trail connector.

City Council on Tuesday evening voted to accept a $45,000 donation from the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council to help pay for the lot, which will be done in conjunction with a planned Nickel & Bean drive-thru coffee shop.

Local lawmakers in March approved joining NOPEC, a non-profit government aggregator that offers competitive, bulk-purchased electricity.

Public Works Director Louis Andres said Wednesday the city contacted Nickel & Bean officials about partnering with the Lexington-based coffee shop to provide parking for residents at the east end of the connector.

He said the company plans to build its new store within a year and the lot will be built at the same time, leveraging financial assistance from the city and Richland County Park District.

The tunnel beneath Trimble Road and the 1.1 mile connector path linking to the B&O Bike Trail opened in October 2025. The path connects to the bike trail near the intersection of Marion Avenue and Home Road.

Currently, it’s likely people using the connector trail from Trimble Road are parking in the Akron Children’s Hospital lot.

“We want to be preemptive and be good neighbors,” Andres said.

He said the public parking lot would be separate from the Nickel & Bean parking.

Andres said more and more people are using the tunnel and the connector to the B&O Trail.

“It has picked up,” he said. “That is a nice area,” which recently improved more with the Western Reserve Land Conservancy‘s donation of the 287-acre Niss Waterfall Preserve property to the county park district in April.

City Council on Tuesday also:

— discussed during caucus the acceptance of two parcels of land totaling 110 acres being donated by the West Creek Conservancy. The land on Bowers Road in Springfield Township was a significant part of the former Camp Avery Hand, a scouting camp. No vote was taken on the legislation.

— approved an agreement allowing the Ohio Department of Transportation to do road work this summer on Ohio 314 and Ohio 545 in Richland County. The work will include bridge maintenance and guardrail replacement within Mansfield city limits.

— voted to adopt the Richland County 2026 multi-hazard mitigation plan as approved by FEMA Region V and the State of Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

— approved granting a license to Ben Schrock of 2991 County Road 529, Loudonville, to tap into the city’s water and sanitary sewer systems at his own expense.

— discussed in caucus a proposal to spend $140,391 with Burgess Ambulance Sales in Loudonville to remount a rescue squad vehicle for the Mansfield Fire Department. A new squad would cost $350,000, officials said.

— approved a proposal to upgrade wages, salaries, fringe benefits and terms of employment for certain city employees.