MANSFIELD (UPDATED) — Mansfield council isn’t keen on the idea of having a gateway sign welcoming people to Ontario in Mansfield city limits.
Don Hipsher, a member of the Ontario Growth Corporation, pitched this idea to Mansfield’s street and traffic committee Tuesday night, saying he’s been working on this sign project for about two-and-a-half years.
Designed by the North Central State College Engineering Department, the sign’s foundation would be about 55 feet long and 7 feet high. Total size, including the the clock tower, measures 55 feet long and 17 feet high. The design features the iconic clock tower found at the Ontario Municipal Building and spells “Ontario” in capital letters.
The sign would be built in two locations, one of which would be near U.S. 30 eastbound, at the West Fourth Street exit.
The other desired location of the sign in the grassy area off of U.S. 30 westbound, near the Ohio 309 exit. That’s in Mansfield, approximately .25 mile to .5 mile outside of Ontario city limits.
“Is there a reason why you would not put it in Ontario, or at least right on the line,” asked At-Large Councilman Cliff Mears, a member of the street committee.
Hipsher responded, “I was just looking for a good location that would be really visible, and I did not realize at the time that it was in Mansfield.”
He said he spoke with representatives of the Ohio Department of Transportation, who informed him of regulations he would need to abide by. He was told the sign would have to be at least 28 feet from the road on either side.
“So it needed a pretty good size location,” he said.
Another thing to consider was visibility and making sure the sign wouldn’t endanger motorists by causing a distraction.
The location, though technically in Mansfield, seemed ideal because both roads (U.S. 30 and Ohio 309) lead into Ontario.
Hipsher said there is a Plan B.
“But we’re not as happy with it,” he said.
The other location would be in the City of Ontario near the Lexington-Springmill Road exit from U.S. 30.
“There’s no need to tell motorists you’re in Ontario because you’re already there,” Hipsher said.
The project is estimated to cost $80,000 ($40,000 per sign), and primary funding would be collected through donations. The Ontario Growth Corporation is seeking financial support from individuals and organizations in and around Ontario to help cover the cost.
At-Large Councilman Don Bryant, vice chair of the street committee, said council needs to keep its constituents in mind.
“I know Mansfielders take great pride in their city,” he said. “A large portion of our voters, our constituents, would not be happy with your plan.”
Others voiced similar concerns, saying the sign is too far within Mansfield limits.
“My concern is it kind of misrepresents what is part of Ontario and what is part of Mansfield,” Law Director John Spon said.
Parks
Mansfield is entering into contract with EMH&T of Columbus to design and create a new layout and ideas for Sterkel Park.
Council approved legislation that authorizes this measure in a 7-1 vote. Fifth Ward Councilman Jason Lawrence voted no.
This bill was tabled at a previous council meeting after members voiced concerns.
The project involves improving Sterkel Park by creating more connectivity among the facilities in that area along Lexington Avenue. Currently, the park can only be accessed from Hollywood Lane. The project comes at no cost to the city, as it is funded by a grant from the Sterkel Fund.
In other news, Mansfield resident Cleve Gordon expressed frustration with work done by city workers at John Todd Park. He said he’s been doing quite a bit of work over the last few weeks to help spiff the park up, but alleged that city workers from the street department poorly installed basketball rims that they ran over, causing the backboards to crack, and created tire tracks in the park with their trucks.
“That was after we had just blew all the leaves in a pile,” he said. “There’s a pile of leaves at the park as tall as me.”
Gordon said there’s going to be an Easter egg hunt at the park.
“Are we supposed to hide the eggs in the tire tracks?” he asked.
Mark Abrams, parks department manager, said he’s spoken with the supervisor of the service complex and said the issues will be remedied with new basketball backboards, repairs to ruts, and removal of the leaves.
Dan Mapes, a mason for the City of Mansfield, called the Richland Source Office on Friday and said that Gordon’s claims are “unfounded” and “untruthful.”
Mapes was part of a crew that replaced four basketball posts at John Todd Park.
He said the arm of a backhoe hit a backboard, causing it to crack. He said they informed Abrams of the incident and a new backboard was ordered.
“We made no ruts, and I haven’t seen any piles of leaves over there,” he said.
Mansfield council accepted the donation of four ADA toilets, one urinal and two ADA sinks from Mansfield Plumbing for John Todd Park.
