MANSFIELD — It took a village to create the City of Mansfield’s Main Street Corridor Improvement Project.
Several agencies and organizations collaborated on the $19.7 million project, which received the Planning Excellence award Wednesday at the Richland County Regional Planning Commission’s annual dinner.
“It’s exciting to be recognized for the work that’s been done,” city engineer Bob Bianchi said. “For the Richland County Regional Planning Commission to acknowledge that work, it was humbling and exciting at the same time.”
He said private utility companies are currently relocating lines to accommodate the project’s construction phase. Kokosing Construction will begin work around the first of March.
Kokosing received a $17,751,811 contract for the streetscape project, which will be a complete upgrade of Main Street from First to Sixth streets and Park Avenue from Main to Diamond streets.
Bianchi said folks can expect to see excavators and equipment actively working at the beginning of March.
“They will be doing some preliminary exploratory digging through a hydrovac truck starting in the middle of February,” the engineer said.
“The purpose of that work is for them to identify the location and depth of the utilities before they begin the underground utility installation work,” he said.
Project roots date back to 2018
Seeds of the Main Street Corridor Improvement Project were planted in Austin, Texas.
Bianchi, Jennifer Kime, CEO of Downtown Mansfield Inc. and Jodie Perry, then president and CEO of Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, traveled to Austin with 12 other local residents as part of Mansfield Rising.
Now the mayor of Mansfield, Perry said it’s exciting to be at the point where “shovels will be seen in the ground” in the next 60 days.
“To have people that do this for a living recognize just how much work is going into it and what a difference it will make, that means a lot to us and I think kind of validates the project,” the mayor said of Wednesday’s award.
The project, expected to be done in stages, involves replacing water mains, storm sewers, streetscape amenities, streetscape furnishings, decorative hardscape, sidewalks, curb ramps, signals, landscaping and lighting.
North and south plazas at the City Park will be fully renovated, including fountain reconstruction.
Kime said since the project’s origin, it was important to make sure it would be manageable, affordable and authentic, while also aligned with the city’s goals.
Those involved with the project have been intentional on stakeholder involvement, while also prioritizing transparency and communication to the public.
“So much goes into this,” Kime said. “We really appreciated the recognition (from the Richland County Regional Planning Commission).”
(Below is a video from EMH&T showing what the planned Main Street Corridor Improvement Project will look like in Mansfield.)
Communications specialist hired
Bianchi said close communication will be kept with the contractor on the sequence of their construction activities — making sure everyone is aware of their progress, as well as where and how they will be heading through the corridor.
In December, Kime told Downtown Improvement Advisory Board members that interviews were being conducted for a “communications specialist.”
The position was created to ensure “clear, consistent and timely communication with local business owners, the public and visitors throughout the project’s duration.”
Kime said Wednesday that Downtown Mansfield Inc. has filled the position. That new hire will begin work in early February, working 10 to 20 hours a week through July 2026.
The project includes several moving pieces and parts, highlighting a need for consistent communication.
“It’s communicating with the contractors, with the businesses and the general public, because we need them to still come downtown and support the businesses,” the mayor said.
“It made sense to have someone just dedicated to just talking about this project and making sure that we were trying to clear as many roadblocks as possible.”
